


Vengeance

by TheAnimeNerd17



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Badass Reader, Black Markets, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Fights, Fist Fights, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jealous Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Parent Death, Past Character Death, Pickpockets, Prostitution, Reader is 19, Reader is OC, Sarcasm, Violence, Younger Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), he's 27, underground city
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-05-12 01:47:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5649259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAnimeNerd17/pseuds/TheAnimeNerd17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I spit blood from my mouth as I glared at my captors, the damn Survey Corps.  I knew why they wanted me, but I didn’t give a fuck.  I didn’t want to join their ranks.  I didn’t want to “save humanity”.  I was perfectly fine just where I was, leading my own life in the Underground.  I guess I should start where it all began before I tell you about my new life in this God forsaken world.  Otherwise, you would never understand why I always crave vengeance for the wrongs of others.</p><p>*also posted on Wattpad under TheAnimeNerd17*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first "x Reader" fanfic, so I hope you all like it! I've never experimented with the second person point of view, so I wrote this from first person. I also made the Reader an OC just for the sake of my inexperience. I hope to practice more with the typical Reader-insert style in the future, but for now I will use my female OC. Hopefully you still like it! Enjoy!

I spit blood from my mouth as I glared at my captors, the damn Survey Corps. I knew why they wanted me, but I didn’t give a fuck. I didn’t want to join their ranks. I didn’t want to “save humanity”. I was perfectly fine just where I was, leading my own life in the Underground. I guess I should start where it all began before I tell you about my new life in this God forsaken world. Otherwise, you would never understand why I always crave vengeance for the wrongs of others.

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I was born in the Underground City, a place for the most vile and disgusting people the world has to offer. Well, I apparently was one of them, born to a whore with her dipshit of a husband. My childhood wasn’t all too bad until my father became widely known as the community drunk. He smuggled alcohol into the City, earning himself a reputation. People began to flock to him for many reasons, not all for the alcohol alone. Some came for their monthly supply of booze, the others came for a good fuck with my mother. I guess I really can’t blame them too much. They just did whatever they could to get money. They wanted, no needed, enough money to send our family of three to the surface. The admission kept getting more expensive, so my parents would up their business. That’s where I came in. My mother became gravely ill and my father owed many men product. He had taken too much cash without alcohol to give in return. The gang members got pissed. I carefully observed how each gang in our community worked, what their flaws were and what their strengths were. I fantasized about having my own monopoly of gangs. I wanted to run the whole damn city with the strongest mafia known to man. Okay, a little extreme, but I was around eleven. Give me a break.

A few weeks passed the due date for their booze, the men showed up at my front door. They demanded product from my father, to which my father explained that he had nothing. The gang got pissed and, to put it bluntly, blew his brains out. The men walked through the house and found me and my mother. They dragged us out to the living room and held me still, watching what they did to my mother. The tallest man, the one with the scar above his eye and snake tattoo on his right bicep, pinned her to the ground. My mom was too weak to do anything about it and I couldn’t break the hold of the men around me. The man undid his belt and pulled out his dick, if you can really call what he had a dick. He flipped up my mother’s dress and forced his way inside her, fucking her harder than any of her customers ever did. I was made to watch it. Anger, hot and raw, grew inside me. How dare they?! How dare they break into MY house, kill MY father, and rape MY mother?! My heart grew cold that day, planning to run the fucked up place I called home and turn it into something better than this. My long, dark brown hair hung in light brown eyes to hide the sin that was going on in front of me. After long hours, I could tell my mother was dead. The other men had taken their turns with her and had killed her in the process. Her face was pale and her eyes were glazed, empty orbs. I bit back the tears for another time.

“You people are so dead,” I muttered coldly, fists clenched tightly. The men holding me chuckled and released me, thinking I was going to roll over and obey like some dog. I immediately did as my father had always taught me and ran. I only made it to the kitchen before a man swiped at my ankles. I hissed and lunged for something, anything, that could be used as a weapon. I knocked over the knife box and grabbed one. This was the day I realized I had a natural skill with knives. I plunged the knife into the first man’s hand and retracted it. I used all of my strength to whip in at the incoming man, surprisingly sticking it in his leg. I got to my feet and grabbed more knives, using them sparingly as I escaped my home. I ran into the streets, blood covering my dress and my hands. I heard the remaining men scrambling after me and picked up the pace. I turned and slung another knife, downing the one man with a blow to the cheek. I couldn’t deny the giddy feeling I felt. I would be making my dad proud with these skills. My luck ran out, however, when I stepped on something hard while I was turned around. A small squeak left my mouth as I fell backwards and onto the feet of someone.

“Ow! Damn brat, watch where you’re going,” a deep voice growled, making me look up. I clutched a knife in my hand, ready to attack if the stranger ended up being dangerous. Cold steel grey eyes stared down at me. A young man, around nineteen years old, blew a strand of black hair from his eyes.

“Oi! Did you hear me?” he snarled, picking me up by the collar of my dress. I made an animalistic noise and lashed out, making him hiss as he barely avoided being cut. I only managed to graze his arm, not enough to make him bleed.

“What the hell?!” he bellowed before he noticed where I was staring, “Hey, you don’t avert your eyes from a person that’s about to kick your ass… oh? Who are these pigs?”

“They killed my dad and raped my mom to death,” I mumbled as I gripped the knife handle. The man’s nose wrinkled in disgust while he pushed me behind him and brought out his own knife.

“Chill out, Squirt. I’ll take care of them,” he walked casually up to the remaining men before slicing both of their necks. I watched in a mixture of shock and awe as their dirty blood spurted from their throats. The black haired man strolled back over to me and discarded my kitchen knives, handing me one of his own throwing knives.

“Here. Hold it like this,” he showed me how. “Practice your aim. Keep it sharp and keep fighting. Keep fueling that fire inside you and you’ll survive.”

I blinked up at him and nodded, holding the knife firmly in the way he had showed me. I took his advice to heart, a small smile turning up the corners of my lips. “Thank you,” I said softly.

“No problem, kid,” the man walked away, meeting up with his friends that waited for him at the end of an alley. I watched him leave, feeling more determined than ever. I didn’t see that man again for the rest of my time in the Underground. From that day, I worked my ass off to become the greatest fighter in the City. I fought tooth and nail, scraping by at first. I became a fabulous pickpocket and could steal the cigarette right out of a man’s lips without him noticing. It didn’t hurt that I had a pretty face. I never became my mother though. I remained pure, using its lure to my advantage. I built up my own small gang that grew and grew as I gained more power. I was the most successful dealer in certain black market objects. Everyone both feared and respected me. I grew up and built a shell around my soul. Innocence needed protected in a world such as that so I veiled it with cold cruelty and an iron fist.

Everything in my mini-Empire went perfectly and without hitch until just this morning. I started off in the fight club, earning a quick $500 to make up for some lost profit. I easily dodged the fighter’s punches.

“Oh, so close. Come on do better. Again?” I raised a brow before deciding to end it. I did a backflip, grabbing the fighter’s fist between my ankles. I used both of our momentum to my advantage and pulled him forward, smashing him into the ground when I regained my footing. I placed a foot on his skull and leaned down, smirking when the audience cheered and tossed money into the ring.

“Don’t mess with the best, honey,” I walked away, taking the money and leaving. I put a few men in their place, but other than that it was fine. I went to my dealer’s office to check my profits. As usual I was earning quite a lot of money. I had just gotten another large shipment of 3DMG, smuggled from the Scout Regiment this time. I put some gear on and smirked.

“This is great. New gear means better operations,” I grinned slightly and shot the cables into a building. I began flying with the gear towards my base when I felt the creeping sense of being followed. I glanced behind me and saw nothing. After a few more minutes, I felt it again and glanced backwards. I scowled when I saw the telltale Wings of Freedom on the capes of some soldiers.

“The Survey Corps…”

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“Levi, we have a new mission,” Erwin announced as he entered the shorter man’s office. Levi looked up from his work, a bored look on his face.

“What could it be this time, Commander?” he asked with a sigh, pushing his chair back as he stood up. He adjusted his cravat and walked around the side of his desk. Erwin quirked a small smile at the Lance Corporal.

“We’re going back to your birthplace. The Underground City,” he answered, awaiting Levi’s reaction. The shorter man jerked his head up to look at Erwin better.

“Why the fuck are we going there? We just got a fresh batch of new recruits from the 104th Cadet Regiment and lost many experienced soldiers, including my squad, in the female titan attack. Many of our troops have just healed. Why would we go down there? To risk more lives from the disease and lifestyle people are exposed to down there?” Levi snarled slightly. He never wanted to go back there, where he was less than human. He wanted to stay on the surface where he was free. Erwin sighed in exasperation.

“Levi, we are going to the Underground City for precisely that reason. We need fresh bodies fast. We need more manpower and don’t have the time for waiting around for the next Cadet Regiment. We need to go down there and get the smartest, brightest, most skilled people there are down there. You should understand, you were one of those people. Plus we need more fighters like you, of your skill,” he explained while he crossed his arms over his chest. Levi wrinkled his nose for a moment before exhaling.

“Fine. What do you need me to do?” he raised a thin brow. Erwin grinned triumphantly. “First, I need you as a guide. You know that place like the back of your hand and will be able to pursue our target more effectively. I need your help in capturing that target. She is a well known leader among the black market community. She owns the place and is a match pretty equal of you, if what I’ve heard is correct. It seems she took over your throne when you left. I’ll give you her description on the way.”

Levi thought for a moment and hummed. He nodded, preparing to take down this target quickly and with as little effort as possible. “What is the target’s name?” he asked as they both walked out to the horse stables.

“We don’t know her real name, but we know her reputation. They call her the Shadow. She blends in, follows you, and strikes before disappearing just as fast. She actually reminds me a lot of you when I first came down to get you,” Erwin explained, climbing on his horse. Levi snorted and mounted his horse, securing his cape.

“YAH!” both men went off towards the Capitol to the Underground City entrance.

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I glanced back at the fuckers who were following me and growled. This was my turf and the Survey Corps had no right to be here. Even the Military Police stayed away from this far in the City. I turned a sharp corner, evading some of the soldiers. One of them was hot on my trail, gaining ground quickly.

“Time to lose this motherfucker,” I muttered and zipped out of sight as fast as I could, landing in a crowd of people. I tossed a piece of bread on the ground and hid in the scramble to retrieve the piece of food. I faded away with the group as they dispersed. I made a noise of irritation as I felt myself being stalked once again. A glance over my shoulder told me that one soldier was still following me. It was that damn soldier from earlier. I suddenly broke into a sprint down narrow alleys, reluctantly discarding my 3DMG so I could run faster. I would make up for that profit tomorrow. I ran passed clothing lines and through “yards” and down streets. The soldier ran right behind me and reached a hand out to try and grab my long ponytail. I whipped it out of reach and pulled out a knife, flicking my wrist and hitting the very tip of the soldier’s shoe. The grunt the soldier let out told me this was a man. Great. I couldn’t kill him or there would be a hefty price on my head. I ran faster, my thin legs pumping to gain speed. Any normal person would have given up by now. Hell, any normal person wouldn’t be able to run as fast as I was. I threw another knife at him, slinging it close enough to cut his ear a bit. I heard him growl animalistically and he started to run even faster.

“Shit!” I cursed as I tried to put on even more speed. My legs were feeling tired. My eyes widened as I realized I couldn’t outrun him. I would have to fight. When he grabbed me to overtake me, I lashed out with my fist with a snarl. I punched his injured ear, making him growl again. He gripped my wrists hard enough to bruise, forcing a snarl out of me. He had a familiar face, but that was the last thing on my mind at the moment. I flailed and kicked my legs only for him to knock me to the ground and try to pin me. I felt panic beginning to flow through my veins. The realization that I couldn’t get him off of me was setting in. Memories of my mother’s horrid death flashed through my mind as I bucked and squirmed, trying to get free in any way. I even tried biting his hands on my wrists, but he only squeezed tighter. I was using his sheer strength and weight to hold me down. Harsh pants left my nose as I let out a whine that sounded like a cornered animal.

“Alright Levi that’s enough,” a voice ordered from behind the man. This Levi guy loosened his hold for a split second, a big mistake. I yanked my wrists from his grip and twisted my body to run away. A hand grabbed the back of my head and pulled me back down, grinding my head into the ground. My lip was busted and blood filled my mouth. I groaned softly in pain before the weight on my body increased.

“Don’t you dare try to escape,” a deep voice hissed in my ear, ice cold. I made a noise and stilled myself as the other man from earlier walked to stand in my line of sight. I looked up at the tall blonde, noticing his ridiculously large eyebrows. I grunted when Levi shifted his hold on me, pulling me up to my knees by my hair.

“Hello there. My name is Erwin Smith. What’s your name?” he asked as if he was doing nothing wrong. I spit blood from my mouth and glared daggers at my captor.

“Fuck you,” I spat, earning a kick to the gut from Levi. I jerked my gaze to him with my most murderous looks. He looked indifferent. Erwin sighed.

“Levi, you don’t have to hold her that roughly. She is just a civilian girl after all,” he said. Levi scoffed.

“Hardly. Have you seen her fight? She’s smart, too smart. The moment you give her any lenience, she will jump at the chance to escape,” he said in his rich voice. I held in a snicker. Hell yeah I would try to break free.

“Anyway, state your name, Shadow of the Underground,” Erwin demanded a little less kindly this time. I narrowed my eyes at him in hatred.

“Amber,” I said shortly, earning a nod to continue. “Amber Harris.”

“Nice to meet you Amber. You are now a part of the Scouting Regiment and will train among us. We need good, able bodied people like you in our ranks. People that will take down as many titans as Levi here,” Erwin nodded to the man holding me still. I scoffed in annoyance.

“What makes you think I’ll join your shitty ass Survey Corps?” I raised a brow as I blew a piece of my dark brown hair from my face. Levi chuckled darkly behind me and leaned down to speak in my ear.

“How does rotting in the jails of the Capitol sound instead? I’ve heard you’ve committed quite a lot of crimes. I bet the men in prison would be overjoyed, having a treat like you,” he offered in a threatening tone. I gasped softly in horror. I would rather burn in Hell than go to prison, locked in a cage with hordes of men who were willing to do anything to destroy someone like me for their own pleasure. I quickly came to my decision.

“Fine… I’ll join the Corps,” I said in a low voice, looking down at Erwin’s boots.

“Perfect,” Erwin said as he walked away, Levi hauling me up and after him. It was over, I was in the Scouting Regiment… I hope they’re ready for me. I’m not going to make this easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for so many changes in point of view! I just had to get it so all of the events up to the Reader/OC''s capture were described!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter for you all! Hopefully you like it!

Lance Corporal Levi Ackerman, as I learned was Levi’s official title, forcibly dragged me out of my Underground home. I tried to struggle and put up a fight at first, but the Corporal only pinched me. I didn’t like how I was being treated so I went weightless to spite that son of a bitch. My plan, however, backfired. He slung me over his shoulder like a fucking sack of potatoes and carried me out.

“PUT ME DOWN!” I growled menacingly, unable to take my hands free from the bonds that he had tied around my wrists. Levi rolled his eyes at me.

“I’ll pass,” he said in his monotone voice. I made an irked noise but fell silent. I would have to wait until I could actually put up a fight before I started something. I huffed out a sigh and scowled angrily at the ground. I winced when the things got brighter. I glanced over my shoulder and made a soft whine at the brightness.

“Welcome to the surface, you shit,” Levi mumbled in his bored tone. Once my eyes adjusted, I looked around the place. I was in the Sun. The actual Sun. Everything was so bright and beautiful. I couldn’t get enough of it. I was actually here, on the Surface, seeing it for the first time.

“Wow…” I breathed in utter awe and amazement. Erwin and Levi both chuckled.

“This is your new home, Amber. It is much brighter and healthier than the Underground,” Erwin commented, walking towards a carriage with two horses strapped to it. Two other soldiers sat in the spot for drivers in the front of the carriage.

“Levi, you can put Amber down now. I’m sure she would rather walked herself,” Erwin commented as he climbed into the carriage. Levi smirked and dropped me on the ground, causing me to land on my ass.

“Motherfucker!” I yelled, making the young drivers look back at me with wide eyes. Levi scoffed and threw me in the carriage across from Erwin. He climbed in next and sat next to the Commander, crossing his arms and staring at me. I stared pointedly out the window, not wanting to look at either one of them. Erwin cleared his throat to get straight to business.

“Now Amber, how much fighting experience do you have? How good are you with the gear?” he questioned. I looked over to him with incredulous eyes. Seriously? Didn’t he just fucking see me, how good I was? That seriously pissed me off.

“I’m the best there is, sir,” I said with a sarcastic smile. Levi look at me sharply, but I only stared back with slitted eyes. No way in fuck was I backing down from shorty here… even if he was around three inches taller than me.

“Tch, hardly. Don’t get so cocky, Short Shit,” Levi drawled, seeming to have read my mind.

“Shut up, bastard,” I hissed menacingly. Levi only “tch”ed again and looked back out the window. Erwin cleared his throat again, wanting to be answered still. I sighed and decided to answer him. No harm in letting him know how qualified I was to kill him in his sleep.

“I’ve been using the gear since I was thirteen. I’ve used knives since I was born, but I got my first real throwing knife when I was eleven. I overtook the City with my gang, mafia, whatever the hell you want to call it when I was fourteen,” I explained with no emotion. Erwin hummed in what seemed like approval.

“I see… and how old exactly are you?” he asked, raising a brow. “You don’t look too old yet. You can’t be older than twenty five.”

“I’m nineteen,” I answered, sitting back and crossing my right leg over my left. I wished I could have crossed my arms over my chest to properly glare at the men. I settled for blowing a strand of hair from my face in irritation.

“You will fit in nicely at base. The new recruits are all around your age, being eighteen and nineteen,” Erwin hummed and sat back. Levi snorted and glanced over at the Commander.

“We’ll see,” he said, looking out the window. I ignored them and focused on the beauty of the Surface. The Sun was nearly set, so the land was covered in a pink hue. People mingled in the streets and vendors began to close. Some children ran by in a fit of giggles. The sight actually made me want to smile, a true smile. I hadn’t smiled like that in so long. The carriage began to slow down as it neared the wall.

“Wall Sina,” I muttered to myself. This was the inner wall, from what I’ve heard. I turned when I heard Erwin chuckle.

“First time seeing the walls, I see. This is Wall Sina. Next is Wall Rose. You’re going to help us there to reclaim Wall Maria,” he explained. I wrinkled my brows in confusion.

“Reclaim? As in you lost it? Wow, you guys must suck if you can’t even keep a 50 meter wall in check. What happened? Some loser go on break and forget to shut the gate?” I snickered. Levi turned his head sharply to glare at me.

“Bite your tongue, you shit. You’re too ignorant to know what titans are capable of. You would be a tiny snack for them. You would die quickly,” he growled viciously. I raised my brows in interest. He seemed to be challenging my ability. Interesting… I enjoyed a good competition.

“Levi, quiet. No, Amber, that’s not what happened. A titan we call the Colossal Titan was taller than the walls. He kicked a hole in it and let titans into Shiganshina. Many civilians were killed. Devoured. Then the Armoured Titan appeared. He broke through Wall Maria, meaning we only have two walls left,” Erwin said in a grave tone. I dropped my attitude as the reality of the situation sunk in. There was a titan out there that could destroy every one of the walls. I may have only lived on the Surface for an hour, but I was becoming fond of it. It was much better than the Underground. It was alive and happy and perfect. I didn’t want to lose this new chance at life so soon. Erwin saw my more somber face and nodded.

“It was quite a blow but we managed to get through it. Many of the children that survived the attack became soldiers. Many even joined the Scouts, which is where you come in. They are trained but a recent mission left us in a bit of a pickle. We need more people and fast. You know how to use gear and need minimal training. The Underground City has already hardened you to tragedy.” I stiffened at that but said nothing. I wasn’t completely immune to my emotions. “We need you to assist our soldiers and take out titans. Levi here has been dubbed Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. We need more people like him. We think you can be that person. More people plus Eren Yeager means a better chance at defeating the titans.”

“Who the fuck is Eren Yeager?” I asked, earning a smirk from Erwin.

“You’ll meet him tomorrow. He’ll probably be the first Scout you meet. We are staying in a motel through the night and will arrive tomorrow morning,” Erwin said. We passed through Wall Sina and went down a road, stopping in front of a motel. Erwin began to climb out and Levi ushered me out after him. I was pretty silent after hearing how humanity had lost Wall Maria. The situation seemed bleak. Erwin took us up to some rooms and put me in one.

“Here is your room, Amber. Sleep well,” Erwin undid the bonds around my wrists. Both him and Levi shut my door and left me. I observed my room. The bed was soft enough and it had a nice window. I smirked to myself and walked over to the window. Idiots… they left me all alone with an… open window! I lifted it easily and stuck my head outside. I laughed softly to myself. If I wanted to, I could be free of them by slipping right out this exit. Seriously, what dumbasses. I sat on the ledge and swung my legs out over. I looked down at the ground and took a deep breath. I would have to hit the ground running, going to go out and start a life of my own here on the Surface. Just as I was about to jump, something, or rather someone, grabbed the back of my shirt and tugged me inside. A small yelp of surprise escaped my lips as I looked at the fucker that messed up my escape. It was Levi.

“Goddamn it, just leave me the hell alone!” I yelled, pushing his hands off of my shirt. Levi snorted and released me. I moved in a flash and ran for the window again. That was the wrong move. Levi grabbed me again and did the same move he did to me in the Underground. He pinned me down, his legs on mine and my bruised wrists in his grip. I squirmed, really hating this position. It made me feel weak, vulnerable. It reminded me too much of my mother’s rape.

“Stop! Get off!” I yelled, wriggling to try and get him off me. I could feel panic taking over. I couldn’t get him off… I wasn’t strong enough… he could control me… I wanted control back… Levi gave me a cold look and tightened his grip on my wrists to get me to stop moving. I gasped in pain, surprised to find tears about to well up in my eyes.

“Get off, get off, get off!” I was horrified when my fucking voice cracked. My throat felt thick, like I couldn’t breathe. My wrists ached and the pain shot up my arm. Levi’s eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter and he let me go. He got off me and even helped me up. He had me sit down on my bed, standing a respectable distance between us. A line appeared between his brows, showing he was thinking about something. I felt like shit. I had been so weak and had lost my cool. It was unacceptable, I couldn’t let that happen ever again.

“Not a word about this to anyone,” I said softly after a moment, my throat still closed shut from my panic attack. Levi only nodded and didn’t fight the fact that I had given him an order.

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“Levi, stay posted outside her door. I know she is going to try to run. You did the same thing. She wants to have her own way, but she is too valuable at this point. We need her, need her experience and skill. Make sure she doesn’t run,” Erwin ordered. Levi nodded and stood by the door. Erwin turned to leave before turning back to Levi. “And Levi, don’t hurt her too badly,” he left at that. Levi sighed softly and leaned back against the wall. He heard a creak and instantly recognized it as the sound of an opening window. He grunted softly and opened the door silently. He walked in and saw Amber sitting on the window sill.

“That shit is going to jump!’ Levi thought to himself, reaching out and roughly grabbing the back of her black shirt. He tugged her back inside and let her go when she started to yell. He hadn’t expected her to try to run after that and scrambled to pin her down. Levi grabbed her wrists and tried to use his weight to hold her down. He wanted her to calm down, to see things from his point of view. He didn’t want to have an untrustworthy Scout to train. Levi tightened his grip when she thrashed around, watching as her eyes widened in… fear? Was she afraid of him? He watched in shock as her eyes glistened with tears.

“Get off, get off, get off!” Amber’s voice sounded shrill and panicked. He felt almost horrified. Had he really been that rough? Why did she look so afraid of him? His eyes widened and he wanted to apologize. Sure he scared Cadets on a regular basis, but this was different. He knew Amber was a spitfire and tough. SO why the fuck was he the source of that wild look in her eye? Levi immediately released Amber. He helped her stand and sat her on her bed, standing far enough away to make her stop looking so afraid. He thought hard, trying to think of something that he had done to make this girl react this way… she did seem a bit familiar but he couldn’t place the face. He prayed to whatever deity was listening that he had not killed this girl’s family back in his black market days.

“Not a word about this to anyone,” Amber broke his train of thought. Levi nodded and stayed silent. She was tough and embarrassed at her behavior, he could tell. He cleared his throat. Despite being the older adult in this situation, Levi didn’t know what to do. In all his twenty-seven years of life, he had not been prepared for dealing with people. He still sucked at it. His old friends Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church would be so disappointed in him.

“So… want to tell me anything?” he asked awkwardly, shifting on his feet. Amber looked up in surprise. Her eyes then narrowed as her usual stubbornness came out.

“Fuck no,” she growled, glaring at him. Levi sighed and ran a hand in his jet black hair. He was getting irritated now. He was trying to be fucking NICE and here Amber was, giving him the stink eye.

“You’re a fucking pain,” he commented. Amber scoffed and gave him a bored look.

“Like you’re so much better,” she shot back.

“Why don’t you just act your age? It’s not healthy to be so morbid at your age, you know,” Levi pulled a chair over and sat down. If this kept her from running, then so be it. He could argue with her all night. He was just as stubborn.

“Aw how sweet, you caring about my health. It’s so cute, you’re giving my middle finger a boner,” Amber said sarcastically and flipped him off, shifting so she could lean back against the pillows on her bed. Levi growled and stayed silent, just sitting there. This would be a long night…

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I stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore Levi’s stares and sighs. I couldn’t take it anymore so I caved in.

“Fine. What do you want to know about me?” I finally asked, not failing to miss the way Levi seemed to sit up straighter.

“Your story, shit. I want to hear your backstory. I know all the Scouts’ backstories,” Levi replied plainly. I raise a brow.

“But why do you care about mine? All I’ve done is give you shit, which you deserve by the way,” I added quickly. Levi tried to lock eyes with me so I avoided looking at him. He scoffed at me.

“Because, believe it or not, I used to live down there. I was a big player in the black market.” I hummed for a moment and nodded. “Fine… here we go.” 

I told him everything from start to finish. My pretty good times, my father’s mistake, the gangsters, my father’s death and my mother’s rape. I told him about how I ran, about meeting the mysterious teenager, and then my rise to power. He seemed shell shocked when I told him about the teen.

“He gave you your first knife, you said?” he asked in curiosity. I nodded and gestured to my knife belt around his waist.

“It’s the third one on the right,” I pointed. I heard him mutter something like “no shit!” before looking back up at me.

“This used to be my knife. I gave this to some bratty kid that ran into me. I was captured by Erwin and brought into service that day,” he said, voice showing a bit more emotion than he usually did. I gaped in shock. No wonder Levi looked familiar.

“No shit! Well, you stayed a dickhead. You really helped me out then…” I exclaimed, shutting my mouth before a ‘thank you’ could slip through. Levi smirked at me.

“Well, you’re still a bratty kid. No need to thank me,” he said, tone cocky. Too cocky. I didn’t like it. I rolled my eyes and gazed over at him.

“So tell me your story,” I demanded. Levi shook his head with a cruel chuckle.

“I don’t think so. You’re lucky Erwin is so nice because I would have kicked your ass by now. I don’t take orders from shits like you,” Levi crossed his legs. Oh, so he decides to pull rank now?! That bastard. I officially hate him. I crawled under my blankets.

“Well thanks for story time. Now if you could leave, I would appreciate some fucking sleep,” I sassed and laid my head on my pillow. Levi got up and shut the open window before locking it. He sat right back down in his chair.

“I think I’ll stay here to keep guard,” he answered. I closed my eyes and turned my back to him, tugging my covers over my shoulders.

“Creeper…” I muttered as I drifted off to a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is another chapter! Sorry it's a bit on the shorter side for me, but I've been so busy with school and midterm season coming about! I'll try my best to keep updating as soon as I possibly can. Enjoy!

The sound of snoring filled my room. I shifted in my bed, trying to cover my head and block out the noise. The snore came louder and made me open my eyes. I sat up with wild morning hair and bloodshot eyes. The snoring was Levi. He had fallen asleep on the chair he sat on. I took a small pillow and chucked it at him, nailing him straight in the face. He shot up with fists ready to fight. He spotted me glaring and paused.

“Stop fucking snoring so loud, ass wipe,” I growled. Levi raised a brow.

“Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? You look like shit,” he commented. I groaned and flopped back down on the bed. My peace didn’t last long because there was knocking at the door. Erwin entered and stood in the doorway.

“What happened to you two? Did you stay up all night fighting?” he asked. I sat back up and shook my head.

“No. That prick over there woke me up by snoring too loudly,” I pointed at him like a child. Erwin couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Just get dressed and ready. We leave in five minutes,” he commanded, leaving the room with Levi. I climbed sluggishly out of bed and ran a hand through my hair. I braided my hair instead of putting it in a ponytail. I adjusted my outfit, baggy black pants and a black shirt. I cringed at my bare feet. They were still covered in the filth of the Underground. I had kicked them off in my haste to run away from Levi. I sighed and walked out. They would need to give me new clothes eventually. Erwin and Levi were discussing something when I came out. They stopped when I emerged.

“Punctual. Perfect. We’ll provide you with new things when we get to base,” Erwin climbed back in the carriage. Apparently Levi and Erwin trusted me enough because Levi got in the carriage. They didn’t tie me back up. Either that or Levi was confident in his ability to retrieve me quickly, the bastard. We rode in relative silence, Erwin explaining a few things now and then. A castle came into view after a while of riding down a dirt road.

“Now, shit, we are your superiors now. You will refer to us as sir and nothing less. Got it?” Levi said, back to his original self. Gone was the somewhat caring person I had talked to last night. Well, he could fuck himself. I could be just as rude and I would get my revenge soon enough. I just needed to bide my time and train so I could defeat him. The carriage stopped and the three of us got out. The wind blew some strands of my hair free. There was a forest behind the castle and there was so much space. It was quite breathtaking. I saw troops training in the distance.

“Levi, go monitor the trainees. Bring Eren to us in an hour,” Erwin ordered, taking my arm. Levi nodded and jogged off. I yanked my arm from Erwin’s grip, glaring slightly.

“Don’t touch me… sir,” I added bitterly at the end. Erwin sighed and motioned for me to follow him. I did even though he would glance back now and then to see if I had escaped. I had to resist rolling my eyes. I couldn’t go anywhere, dumbass. We were in the middle of nowhere. There really was no place I could run or hide even if I wanted to. We paused in front of a room within the castle.

“This will be your temporary lodging until you get better acquainted to the other troops. The you will be moved to the female dorms. There are clothes inside as well as a personal bathroom. The clothes should be to your size, as we borrowed the measurements from a girl of your stature,” he said, opening my door. “Have your uniform on and be ready in an hour. This door will be locked from the outside and the windows don’t open at all. Be ready when I come for you.” He shut the door and left. I sighed and went straight to the bathroom first. I needed to clean up right away. I stripped off my grimy clothes, took out my hair, and stepped right in. I took a nice shower, relishing in the way the water cleaned off the nastiness from my body. I scrubbed my hair and skin until it fucking sparkled and rinsed off. I turned the water off and grabbed two towels, one wrapping around my hair and the other drying my body. I looked at the mirror and gasped. I had seen my reflection before but this was a whole new me. My skin was perfectly clean and my head felt light. My skin looked so milky white and pale… probably a side effect of living without the Sun. My eyes actually looked… pretty. No dirt lined my eyelids and I looked normal. I hummed in approval and dried my hair. It brought a small smile to my face. I liked this feeling, this feeling that I wasn’t scrambling to survive anymore.

When I was finished drying my hair, I walked out to the room and saw my uniform laying out neatly. I was a bit creeped out by the bra and underwear that sat there. I prayed the maid or whatever of this room had been the one to lay them out, not Levi or Erwin. I dressed myself, slipping on the white shirt and tan pants. There were so many Goddamn buckles! I finally pulled on the jacket with the Wings of Freedom on it when my door opened.

“Way to knock,” I muttered, turning to face Erwin as he entered. He nodded for me to followed. Damn… well it’s probably a good thing he didn’t hear my sass. I really didn’t want to go through any punishment just yet. I still had to meet and intimidate all of these “Cadets” and this “Eren Yeager” yet. I followed Erwin out and across the field to an arena of sorts. Levi stood there with a tall brunette. He wasn’t as tall as Erwin, but he was definitely taller than me and Levi. He looked very serious, teal eyes burning with something. I crossed my arms as we approached.

“Good Levi, I see you’ve brought Eren,” Erwin nodded in approval. Eren looked me up and down, looking like he was judging a book by its cover. I glared up at him. It was the height difference. He thought I was weak because I was so much shorter than him.

“Amber, meet Eren Yeager, Humanity’s Hope. Eren, this is Amber Harris from the Underground,” Erwin introduced us. Eren nodded and stuck out his hand, a small smirk evident on his lips.

“Nice to meet you, Amber,” he said mockingly. I took his hand and crushed it in my smaller one.

“What makes you Humanity’s Hope? To me you look like a piece of shit grew arms and legs,” I replied back just as rudely. Eren’s eyes widened and he yanked his hand back. I glanced over to see Levi holding back a smirk.

“Amber, Eren here is our most secret weapon. He can transform into a titan at will. He will be key to winning our fight,” Erwin explained. I recoiled with suspicions.

“So he’s one of them?” I asked, taking a step back from the titan shifter. I grabbed at my belt before I remembered I didn’t have my knives. I was defenseless. Eren looked a bit hurt at my accusation.

“No, I’m not one of them. I want to kill all of the titans,” Eren growled dangerously. Something about it reminded me a bit of myself, angry at the unfair world. “I’m pretty much under lock and key.”

“Lock and key? As in you’re a prisoner?” I clarified.

“Kind of. For now, I sleep in the dungeon. There is a court order that if I lose control in my titan form, Corporal Levi has to kill me,” Eren glanced over at Levi.

“That’s right brat so don’t you forget it,” Levi said in his typical tone, monotonous and uncaring. I hummed in thought.

“So I guess that makes two of us. So you transform into a titan? How does that work?” I asked. Eren opened his mouth to reply, but Levi cut him off. Looks like I wasn’t going to learn anything… damn.

“That’s top secret, you shit. Now get to fighting. I want to see if you’re worth my time. Eren here is my only remaining squad member. He gets to do your initiation,” Levi stepped to the side, Eren nodded and took a fighting stance, I raised my eyebrows and smirked to myself. Very interesting Levi… I tilted my head and cracked my neck, lips curling into a sneer as I looked Eren over.

“Let’s see what you’ve got,” I said as I put a hand on my hip. He seemed to change, growling at my nonchalant attitude.

“What makes you think you can be so flippant? You can’t do this with titans, you know. They’ll kill you,” he hissed. I laughed in my old cold tone. I tossed my ponytail back and licked my lips.

“Well I’m not fighting a titan right now, am I? I’m only fighting you, the wannabe,” I taunted. Eren snapped and flew at me. He was good, but not nearly as good as Levi. I easily dodged and jabbed him in the ribs. He wheezed and kicked out, watching me jump out of his reach. I spun mid air and kicked his face. He groaned as if he was familiar with the feeling of foot connecting with his cheek. I would assume that was Levi’s doing.

“Come on brat. Grab her and use your size to pin her down. She has a fear of near-rape situations,” said raven commented in the background. My eyes lit up, livid in anger. How. Fucking. Dare. He?!?! I was not fucking afraid of this ass hat. I glared at him, letting my anger get the better of me. I remembered Levi’s words from all those years ago. To not turn my eyes away from my target. Shit… I turned when it was too late, Eren’s body crashing into mine. I lashed out in a blind rage, landing strong blows that were bound to leave bruises. I would have won, had Eren’s momentum not carried us to the ground with Eren on top. He used his weight- damn this guy was heavy- to pin my lower half down. I let loose an ear shattering scream and thrashed with all my might to get him off. Eren had difficulty grabbing my wrists. With, might I remind you, were still bruised to all HELL thanks to Levi Ass-erman. I screamed out again in rage and squirmed. I was using my voice and screaming instead of bursting into tears. I refused to ever be that weak again. I would never cry ever again, never be weak again. Yet, here I was getting overpowered because of how fucking heavy these fat asses were.

“GET OFF!” I managed to jerk my knee up to crush Eren’s balls. He wheezed and let out a strange squeak. Sure enough he let go, allowing me to untangle myself from him and crawl free. I paused to catch my breath when I was a safe distance, only to feel someone pulling me up by my ponytail. I hissed and held onto the hand in my hair to lessen the pain.

“You nearly lost once again, shit. Seems like you’re not as good as they say. You’re just a disappointment to your family. No wonder those men so easily fucked your mommy in front of you. It’s a surprise they didn’t fuck your sorry ass next. Although who knows, you could just be another worthless whore from the Underground,” Levi sneered in my face. That bastard! I wrinkled my nose in rage and spat a nice loogie right on his face. I gave him what he deserved. He made a severely disgusted noise and dropped me to my knees, wiping his face off with a cloth from his pocket. He kicked my gut before leaving me there, silently gasping for the air he had forced from my innocent lungs. Once I regained my oxygen, I tried to get to my feet. Levi Ackerman was a dead man. I was going to kill him, get my revenge now rather than later. A hand clamped on my shoulder to stop me. I turned and saw Eren looking at me with a pleading expression.

“Please don’t do this, Amber. You’ll regret it. There are other ways to let out anger,” he said. I snorted in amusement.

“I’m not angry, I’m pissed. I want to get revenge on that motherfucker, asshole, shit eater!” I cussed like a sailor. Eren got an amused, dark smile on his face.

“You don’t have to take the vengeance out on Corporal,” he stated blankly. I raised a brow in confusion.

“Then who the hell am I supposed to murder?” I snarled. Eren chuckled.

“Not who, what. You’re going to use that fuel to take out all the titans with me,” he cocked an eyebrow in challenge. My jaw literally dropped. The titans? I had never even considered that option before. Eren nodded in affirmation.

“The titans. I vowed to slaughter them all, now you should make that promise too. Don’t want to be weak humans, am I right?” he looked into my eyes and I swear I felt my own soul connecting with him. He held the same anger, the same type of feelings I did. I had a feeling that Eren Yeager would become my greatest ally in this God forsaken Scout Regiment. I spat on my hand.

“As long as I get this need for blood quenched by this, I don’t give a fuck what I’m killing. Levi, or I guess the titans, will PAY for this,” I stuck my hand out. Eren spit on his hand and clapped it to mine in the firmest handshake in my life.

“Deal, Amber Harris. We’ll slaughter them all. Kill them. Get revenge,” he said in a deep voice. Damn did I love the sound of that. Revenge. My favorite word.

“Deal, Eren Yeager. Deal.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a while for me to update! I have several other things on my plate, so I apologize now if updates are a little slow and/or slightly shorter. I will do my best to keep this story up and running at a constant rate. Without further procrastination, here's the fourth chapter!

“Deal, Eren Yeager. Deal.” We shook hands with grins on both of our faces. I was very interested to see how he would aim my anger towards the titans instead of Levi. When Eren finally released my hand, I wiped it off on my pant leg. Eren raised a brow.

“Sorry but your spit was really gross and slimy on my hand,” I laughed softly when Eren’s cheeks turned red. He shrugged and wiped his own hand off on his leg.

“Same goes for you,” he smirked slightly. I rolled my eyes and smacked his head. I adjusted my gear and sighed.

“I do have a question. How am I supposed to kill titans if I have no weapons? Shorty took my knives and they won’t give me blades,” I asked him, cocking a hip out. Eren hummed in thought.

“Well, meet me outside the dorms at midnight tonight and I’ll help you get your knives back. As for the blades, we will have to wait. For now, you’re gonna show me how well you can use the gear. I bet you’re not that good,” Eren crossed his arms over his chest. I scowled at the challenge and kicked his shin.

“Fuck you, Yeager. Just you watch. If we were in prison, you would be begging to be my bitch,” I quipped, shooting off before he had time to react. I watched him watch me and decided to show off. I flipped through the air, my hair flying out behind me as I twisted and turned. I went as fast as I could and used my lightning reflexes to zip between trees. I could feel Eren’s eyes on me and I loved it. My heart swelled in joy that someone was finally admiring my skill again. I hated it when people completely ignored me. I guess you could say I wanted the attention. I didn’t want to fade into the background like I did with my parents before they died. Hmm… well fuck this, I’m not in therapy. I just wanted to prove Eren I was better than him, simple as that. I landed on the balls of my feet in front of him with a smirk on my lips.

“How was that Eren?” I said his name sarcastically, as though it was the worst thing I could call him. To my surprise, Eren blushed lightly and ducked his head down a bit. Good. Humility looks nice on him.

“Sorry for doubting your skill. You’re practically Levi’s twin,” he muttered. Shit Eren, that was the wrong thing to say. I may come from the same fucking place he does, hell we even share the title of ex-Black Market boss, but he is nothing compared to me. I will stomp his prim and pure Scout ass into the ground once I polish my rough Underground edges. For now, I pulled my fist back and decked Eren in the fucking nose. A satisfying crunch accompanied the blow as well as a thin drop of red blood. That knocked Eren to his ass, so I put my foot on his chest to force him to lay down and look up at me.

“Never, and I repeat NEVER, compare me to that stupid son of a bitch ever again!” I growled in my most menacing voice. I could practically see the whimper in Eren’s eyes, feel the submission to me under my boot. I removed my foot and turned on my heel, walking off towards somewhere other than here. I didn’t want to kill Eren after all. He wasn’t my objective… but apparently Levi wasn’t supposed to be either. What a fucking stupid notion, taking my anger out on the titans instead of on the people who wronged me.

I walked for several minutes with no idea where the hell I was going. I was too pissed off. I couldn’t understand what was making me so angry. The only source I could think of was Goddamn Levi! UGGH! I wanted to forget him, but I couldn’t. He had been the one to save me when I was younger and had technically, TECHNICALLY, saved me from the Underground. Not like I needed saving or anything, but I guess it could count as saving… fuck… This was Eren’s fault. It had to be, these sinful thoughts of Levi saving ME of all people. I could almost feel crazed laughter bubbling in my stomach. My hand raised up and slapped me in the face, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Hey shit, why the fuck did you just hit yourself in the face? Not that I’m complaining…” I looked up to see the evil face of a smirking Levi. A scowl immediately took ahold of my features as I glared at him. I didn’t grace him with an answer. Instead, I began to walk away from him with my chin in the air. I heard the crunch of his footsteps and felt his iron grip on my shoulder.

“You don’t turn your back on your Corporal, Cadet Harris,” he growled in my ear. I snarled in return, shrugging my shoulder away from him.

“I do whatever the fuck I want, Ackerman,” I shot back and took another step. My world suddenly flipped upside down and my ass had the telltale ache of having been fallen on. Ouch… son of a bitch…

“What was that, Cadet?” Levi fisted my hair and lifted me back to my feet. I grimaced and kicked out at him. Sadly, I accomplished nothing except getting a yank on my hair. My scalp burned! I gasped at the pain and grudgingly swallowed my pride.

“Yes SIR,” I spat angrily, hissing it through my teeth. My light brown eyes darkened in barely contained rage. Levi let out a snort from his nose and threw me to the ground. I gripped the dirt in my nails, hair hanging in my face as I struggled to reign in my boiling temper.

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Erwin ordered a cadet to find Levi and bring him to his office. Moments later found the blonde and the raven having an intense stare down. Levi had his arms crossed, usual look of distaste on his face.

“You want me to what?” he asked in a disbelieving tone. Erwin sighed and ran a calloused hand through his hair. He gave Levi a look before exhaling again.

“I already told you, Levi. I need you to train Amber. You are the only one besides Hanji who will be able to handle her vulgarity. You grew up in the Underground and should know how to better deal with… with…”

“With mental scars like that? With broken dolls of society?” Levi interrupted, body stiffening and the lines on his face deepening. Erwin cringed at Levi’s word choice.

“I didn’t mean it like that Levi…” he tried to apologize but Levi cut him off with a “tch”.

“Sure you didn’t. You don’t realize it, but people of the Underground aren’t as weak as they are made out to be,” he snapped with barely contained rage.

“Then why do you keep insulting Amber and her strength?” Erwin retorted calmly. That made Levi pause for a moment. Erwin smirked slightly in victory.

“I want her to become even stronger… to make her able to ignore the horrors of this world,” Levi answered at last. Erwin cocked a bushy brow.

“So you do care for her then,” he nodded, dismissing Levi. The Corporal flushed and turned on his heel.

“No fucking way! But I’ll still train her since you bastards are all too weak…” he grumbled, stomping out and running into the Cadet in question.

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“Stand up Cadet,” Levi ordered me, eyes looking amused. Fucking amused! I’ll give him something to be amused about! I clenched my fists but remembered what Eren said. I gave a soft growl and stood up, spitting on the ground to avoid looking at this son of a bitch.

“Stop spitting. It’s disgusting,” Levi said sternly, earning a glare from me. I looked up into his eyes and refused to look away. He stepped closer and closer until we were nose to nose. My hands curled into fists, ready to swing. He grabbed me by my wrists and held them up in a fighting position.

“The first step is self defense. If you can’t fucking protect yourself, you’ll never be able to save a comrade,” he explained, voice sounding less harsh than earlier. This confused me and our proximity bothered me. I moved to pull away, but Levi’s grip tightened.

“Personal space is a luxury for civilians. True soldiers don’t need it.” A challenge was laced in his tone, one I was all too willing to take on. He wanted to see my guts by defying my bubble? Fine, so be it. Levi Ackerman, prepare for the biggest pain in your ass right now, because here I am.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you all! Some relationship tension is built between Amber and Levi... and could Levi be jealous?

I stood in fighting position, ready to unleash some pain on Levi’s shit-producing ass. That smirk on his face begged to be punched and I was all too glad to provide. I rolled my head to the side to crack my neck. Levi raised a thin brow at me.

“Are you going to start fighting, or do I need to show you how to do it?” he asked in a blunt voice. I growled and lunged for him with all of my speed, hissing when he seemed to dodge with ease. “Hmm… so predictable. Looks like I need to wipe the little baby’s ass.”

“Shut the fuck up!” I threw a punch at his head. He caught my hand in his, the long fingers digging into my hand. His smirk seemed to widen the more he watched me.

“Looks like I struck a nerve. You’re worse than Yeager,” he commented, twisting my wrist around to pin it behind my back. “Such a disappointment… you could have been so much better…” his breath ghosted over my ear, his lips nearly touching it. My body shook with rage. I was letting him get under my skin. We were interrupted by a tall woman flouncing over to us, laughing much too loudly.

“Come on, Levi! Stop fraternizing with cadets!” she beamed, adjusting her glasses. I heard Levi grunt before he released me and pushed me away. A little too roughly, if I had to say so. He’s such a bitch…

“Shut it, shitty glasses. I’m supposed to be training her, but she has no talent,” Levi crossed his arms over his chest. The woman, shitty glasses, snorted and looked me over.

“I don’t know, shorty. She looks like your type. You’re just being a dick,” she grabbed at my arm, making me jerk away. She raised a brow and adjusted her glasses again before grabbing me again. I drew back a fist and socked her jaw, which snapped shut with a painful clack. The woman gave me a wry look.

“Levi,” was all she said before Levi was on me, trying to wrestle me to the ground so I would cooperate. I hissed and swatted at him to keep him off. I jerked my knee up, feeling something soft get crushed. Levi made a deep groan of pain in my ear. PAIN! Holy shit! I hurt him?! I glanced down and realized I had just kneed Levi right in the family jewels. My jaw went slack and I paused, accidentally giving him the chance to power through and take me down. He pinned me down and moved to tell me something, chapped lips brushing my ear.

“You will regret that, Amber,” he growled menacingly. My breath hitched at the threat. Why the fuck was he so fucking intimidating?! I only glanced away from him and wrinkled my nose as he hauled me to my feet. He held my wrists behind my back and made me follow shitty glasses lady.

“Now, Amber, I have been asked by Erwin to give you a physical to make sure you’re ready for our upcoming mission. I, of course, accepted! I love studying people and titans alike!” the woman rambled on the way to wherever the hell she was taking me. “Oh, I forgot, my name is Hanji! Nice to meet you Amber!”

I grunted in acknowledgement and looked around. I was being taken to a separate building with an arena in back. I assumed this was the first aid center of sorts. When I entered, I was surprised to see Eren in there. Shirtless. On a table like a platter. I barely withheld my snort of laughter at seeing the tan boy so exposed.

“Amber, this is Eren, my prime subject. He is getting his physical as well since he has special abilities. He can turn into a titan,” Hanji explained. I only raised my brows in amusement when Eren looked my way and flushed.

“I know. I’ve met him already. And kicked his ass,” I said monotonously. Eren pouted like a child, stopping when he saw that Levi glaring at him behind me. Hanji chuckled softly and sat down in a chair.

“Alright, Levi, you can let her go now. Just promise not to run, okay Amber?” Hanji confirmed. One glance at Eren made me sigh and nod.

“Yes, I promise I’ll behave,” I muttered sarcastically. Hanji nodded and brought out weird machine things… I had only ever seen them in the black market… rarely. Levi let me go and went to close the door, monitoring both me and Eren. I sat on another table and swung my legs. Hanji walked up to me and tugged my shirt.

“No modesty here. Take it off so I can measure your heart rate,” she ordered, making my eyes widen as I inhaled sharply. I shook my head and pushed her hands away.

“No thank you. Not with two men in the room,” I crossed my arms over my chest. At least Eren had the decency to look embarrassed. Hanji sighed in annoyance.

“Amber, you need to do this or else you won’t be allowed to fight. We’ll just send you back to the Underground. The more personal stuff, I will take you into that room over there. Come on,” Hanji gestured to the room in question. I furrowed my brows and glanced at Levi and Eren. I didn’t want to go back to the Underground ever… but I didn’t want to take off my clothes in front of them. Reluctantly, I nodded and started to unbutton my shirt. Eren cleared his throat and looked away, but Levi still appeared to be staring at me.

“Levi, look away,” Hanji came to my defense. Levi snorted and focused on Eren.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen the female anatomy before,” he said plainly. I waited for a few seconds before removing the shirt, my gear having been taken off when I entered. I sat there with a face burning like fucking hell, staring at my feet.

“Pants too. We need to get your height and weight. Eren’s going to do it too. Eren, take your pants off!” Hanji yelled at us. Eren spluttered for a minute before blushing a deep red. I stifled a small giggle when he got up, turning his back to me as he tugged off the tight trousers to reveal his boxers. I had to admit, he had a nice body with strong, lean muscles. He was quite tall… but it’s not like I really cared. A small noise sounded from Levi.

“No need to strut for a girl, Yeager,” he said bitterly. Hanji didn’t suppress her smirk.

“Jealous Levi?”

The Corporal shut his mouth to glare at her before replying with a firm “No.” Eren flushed some more and got back on the table. I sighed. Well, fuck it. I had to get used to this shit if I didn’t want to return to the Underground. I hopped up and shimmied my pants off, my face the distinct color of a tomato. Damn it… damn it all to Hell! I tried to cover my plain underwear and bra as best I could with my hands. The air in the room was so fucking cold, goosebumps prickled my skin. Eren was looking anywhere but at me while Levi seemed to stare almost… intently. It was disturbing. Hanji weighed me and measured me. I was slightly underweight from living in the Underground for so long and I was short as fuck, but oh well. She took me to the separate room to ask me personal questions and stuff. I turned my nose up at it all. I didn’t have to let this affect me. I walked back out into the main room, Hanji leaving me for a minute to examine Eren. I shivered, cold overtaking me. I really wanted something warm, like a thick wool blanket. My teeth chattered a little. Damn it, that just made me feel colder. I jumped when I felt something being draped over me. I looked up and saw Levi putting his cloak over my shoulders.

“There. Now make your shitty teeth stop chattering, it’s annoying,” he muttered and walked back to his place by the door. My eyes widened, and I pulled the green cloak tighter around.

“Thanks,” I whispered mostly to myself. I sat on my table and snuggled in the warmth the cloak provided. I had to admit, it smelled nice. Really nice. Like mint and a little bit of smoke and something else. It was the scent of Levi that I never really noticed before. It was soothing. I hummed and hid my smile with the fabric.

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Levi had to admit, he had nearly blushed when Hanji told Amber to take her clothes off. He held in his curses and covered his flustered emotions with his “don’t give a shit” attitude. He watched as Amber unbuttoned her shirt, watching more of her pale skin become visible. Her figure was nice, a smallish bust but there were breasts there. She had very nice curves… Levi swallowed to stop staring. It was unprofessional. He glanced over at Eren and withheld a growl. The teenager was sneaking peeks at Amber’s body, looking her up and down. The pervert. Amber’s cheeks blossomed with red, making both men smile slightly.

“Pants too. We need to get your height and weight. Eren’s going to do it too. Eren, take your pants off!” Hanji yelled at the two. Eren stripped first and Levi felt his nose wrinkle. That little shit was showing off so Amber would see. Levi fought the urge to go over and cover Amber’s eyes. It irked his manly ego even further when Hanji asked if he was jealous. Of course he wasn’t! He wouldn’t be jealous over two little shits! He just didn’t like that Amber was being flirted with by Eren.

Amber took her pants off and stood there looking so exposed and cold… so small. Levi couldn’t help but see a part of himself in this younger girl. He wondered if she had followed the same path he did in the Underground, knowing ever since the day he gave her that knife she had been rising to the top. He caught himself staring at her long, thin legs and slight hips. He turned his gaze away to the wall, unable to shake the urge to cover her up. Hanji took her to the room to ask her all the personal female questions. Eren swung his legs, smirking to himself.

“Stop smirking, brat. Your face will stick that way,” he ‘tch’ed. Eren gave him a pointed look. “Don’t look at me that way, cadet. And keep your eyes off of Cadet Harris. She’s a woman and you need to respect her.”

“I wasn’t being disrespectful! I was only-”

“Staring. Like a perverted shit. Calm your boner, horn dog, I will not let any relationships form on my watch.”

Eren huffed and rolled his eyes, thwarted for now. Amber and Hanji emerged and Levi observed as Amber shivered like a child in the winter. Levi walked over and put his cloak over her, corners of his mouth turning up when she jumped.

“There. Now make your shitty teeth stop chattering, it’s annoying,” he muttered and walked back to his place by the door. He wondered to himself why he had done that. He was never kind to cadets. Ever. Perhaps he was going soft...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for an update and that this one is kind of short! I had some serious writer's block and got really caught up in other things! Without further procrastination, here is the sixth chapter with some fluffy embarrassment! ;)

I sighed as I sat there on the table, Levi’s cloak draped around me. Hanji was taking forever with Eren, taking blood samples galore and poking and prodding him. It was getting on my nerves. I wanted this over and done with.

“Jesus fuck, how long does this take?!” I yelled in Hanji’s direction. If I wasn’t mistaken, I heard a snort from Levi’s direction. My suspicions were confirmed when Levi spoke up.

“That won’t make her hurry. Eren is her special specimen. You’ll have to get use to it if you want to be a part of my squad,” he said. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Why would I want to join YOUR squad?” I snapped. Levi puffed air out through his nose.

“Trust me, you little shit, I don’t want you on my squad either. This is Erwin’s call, not mine,” he said in a bored voice. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. Hanji finally returned her attention to me and finished up with the physical. She told me I was free to leave, immediately returning to checking over Eren. This whole experiment process must be total hell…

I redressed myself in a moment and handed Levi his cape back. The man raised his brows at me before shaking his head. I recoiled and shrugged it off, throwing the cape over my shoulder. It would make a nice blanket on my new bed, I guess. I left Hanji’s office with Levi on my heels. Apparently I was being fucking followed.

“What in the possible fuck could you want now?” I asked the Corporal with a hint of a bitter tone. Levi’s eyes darkened slightly. Seriously! His eyes, dark grey as anything, darkened even further! I was in the shit house now!

“You still have to train. We have a mission in a week and I don’t tolerate weak links. I’m going to teach you to fight properly so you don’t die within the first five minutes,” Levi replied. I stuck a hip out and rested my hand on it.

“Is that so?” I decided to play the ignorant card. Levi grunted and got into a fighting position. In a flash, my face was in the dirt and a knee pressed into my back. My arm was twisted uncomfortably behind me by that mother fucker.

“I don’t tolerate sass from my men, Cadet Harris,” Levi hissed in my ear. I winced at the pain shooting up from my arm, otherwise keeping my flippant attitude.

“Oops. SO sorry darling,” I quipped, earning a tightening grip on my arm. My shoulder screamed in protest.

“In this position, I could dislocate your shoulder and break some ribs,” Levi warned.

“Do it,” I dared him, “I’ve had much worse done to me in the Underground.”

Levi seemed to loosen his hold at that. I gasped when I felt relief in my shoulder, rubbing it with my opposite hand. Levi still had his knee on my back to keep me down. I took a breath, reminding myself of Eren’s deal. He would teach me to channel my anger and perform my duty better. A pregnant silence filled the air as neither Levi nor I spoke. Fuck it, I need to speak.

“Corporal, what happened to you in the Underground?” A memory of the first night in the hotel flashed through my mind. Levi had seemed kind of nice then, understanding. God, I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m trying to RELATE to the son of a bitch! You know what, fuck it. Maybe then he won’t be such an ass. The clearing of said man’s throat shook me from my thoughts.

“Well, my prostitute of a mother died when I was young. I never knew my father,” he began to talk, voice softer than I had ever heard it. “I lived for a while on my own and almost died until my uncle Kenny showed up. He took me in and taught me how to survive, leaving me alone once I had learned. Then I just kind of fought my way to the top by killing the worst of those black market pigs.”

I listened intently, comparing his story to mine. It sounded pretty similar, but there were some obvious differences. I had a father. My parents were murdered. I didn’t have to kill anyone to get to the top. I fought them. Killing wasn’t my usual method. Sure, everyone in the Underground has had to kill someone at some point, some more than others. I was on the luckier side, having only killed a few people when my own life was threatened. Levi got off of my back.

“Amber, get up,” I flinched at the use of my first name. “I’m going to teach you to fight properly. Once I polish you up, you really will shine like a diamond.”

I almost let my jaw drop. Did he just call me a diamond in the rough? Wait, did he say he was going to polish me? Hold on…. Fucking hold on! Why am I blushing?!?! Something was wrong with me… or him… or both…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Levi watched as Amber’s cheeks flooded with color. He withheld a smirk at the sight, feeling a sense of pride. He had caused that reaction in her, his glittering diamond…. Wait what? The corporal blinked and erased all previous thoughts from his head. He couldn’t fraternize with cadets. Hell, he didn’t even remotely like anyone. Although…. The way Eren had gazed upon Amber had made his blood boil. Levi gritted his teeth to focus on being a proper superior. He adjusted his cravat and got into a fighting position. He waited for Amber to do the same, her cheeks still flushed bright crimson. He decided to make the first move. He lunged for her, swinging at only air. She had dodged him flawlessly. He felt a sense of… a sense of pride tug at his heart. She was learning already. Amber sent her own fist hurling his way, but Levi caught it like he had countless times before.

“Hold on, shit. You aren’t holding your fist right, for starters,” he moved to her side. He adjusted her fist so her thumb was outside her knuckles. “You don’t want to break your fucking thumb.”

“Oh…” Amber’s eyes widened as she made her fists curl in the correct way. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Levi felt strange inside, almost fuzzy. What was this shitty-ness?

“Good. Now we need to work on your moves. You’re fast, but you need to be thinking at all times. You’re not a dumbass like Yeager, so you should be able to separate mind from body,” Levi grunted. Was he actually enjoying her company right now? He really was going soft… A sigh of annoyance from Amber shook him from his daydreams.

“Fine. What should I do?” She asked in her lovely voice. Levi wanted to smack himself for being such a fucking sap. He guided her arms with his to show her the best way to jab. He pressed his thighs to the back of hers to lift her knees into an awkward kick. He could have sworn he had heard her breath hitch. He noticed she had turned her head, her hair moving away from her pale neck. Her milky skin was exposed and that stirred something in the corporal. He shook his head and pushed her away, causing a small gasp to sound from her.

“Practice while I go get the gear to practice for our upcoming mission,” he ordered, walking away too fast. He really didn’t want her to see the pink dusting his cheeks.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I cursed internally as Levi’s chest pressed against my back. Needless to say, his chest and abs were rock hard. My mind tried to wander, but I forced it to focus on fighting. I wasn’t supposed to be blushing over the corporal. He brought me here for fuck’s sake! But then again… he saved me from that Hell hole once again… damn it! He moved my arms in punches to show me what to do. I felt my breath hitch when his thigh pressed against mine to show me how to kick. My cheeks flooded with color, so I turned my head to hide it. That was a mistake. The movement had exposed my neck. I could feel his warm breath tickle my skin. My knees trembled slightly. I better not fucking melt… don’t you fucking do it me… I gasped when I felt his hands push me away a little roughly. Levi muttered something about going to get the gear before he stormed off. Thank God… I didn’t want him to see my red face. This man was going to kill me…

“Hey Amber!” Eren’s voice boomed right by my head, making me nearly fall on my ass.

“Holy fuck Eren!” I yelled at him with a glare. Eren smirked and chuckled, clapping my shoulder. Fucking asshat… these men really are going to kill me, aren’t they?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update, but I tried to make it longer to make up for it! I'll keep trying to at least update every month, but you all know how it is with school and all that. Anyway, besides my excuses, here is the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

I ran a hand over my face and scowled at Eren. He was such a little shit. No wonder Levi called him a shitty brat. How had I decided I could be friends with him? I now question my decision-making skills.

“What in the world do you want Eren?” I asked, trying to keep from snapping at him. Eren only chuckled softly.

“I have training with Levi,” he answered swiftly. I rolled my eyes and grunted. Whatever. I’d make him pay later. The crunch of boots in the dirt and the clanging of 3D Maneuver gear rang in my ears. I looked over as Levi approached, my eyes widening when he seemed to give off an almost evil aura. He threw gear at my feet and did the same to Eren.

“Put it on, cadets. We are going to have a little competition,” Levi ordered, his gear already secured on his body. I considered protesting, but a glance from Eren reminded me not to. I had to change the object of my anger. Yeah, I know… total bullshit right? I picked up the gear with smaller straps and began to attach it to my body. Eren offered his help, which made me raise a brow.

“Eren, are you trying to flirt with me or something?” I asked as I secured the last strap. Eren furrowed his brows and shook his head. I breathed a small sigh in relief.

“He better not be. And if he is, he’s doing a shitty job,” Levi grumbled with arms crossed over his chest. I turned my suspicious gaze to Levi. Was he jealous? No… really? Nah, that’s horseshit. Eren finished his straps and stood at attention while I just sulked there. Come on… can we go yet?!

Levi tried to explain different ways to use the gear in more efficient and effective ways, but I didn’t listen. Eren did so he would fill me in later. I just wanted to go kill some titans. Well, fake titans but still, I wanted to use these giant knives on something. Oh shit! Levi and Eren were already walking away. I jogged to catch up, walking slightly behind them.

“Nice of you to join us,” Levi snarked. I laughed sarcastically.

“Real good to be here, sir,” I muttered, voice bland and emotionless. Eren looked back at me for a fraction of a second. Fuck you Yeager! I’ll be a bitch if I want to. I stayed silent the rest of the journey to the woods. No point in pissing off Mr. Yeager again. Gear clacked against my legs as I walked, annoying the hell out of me. Who invented this shit? Did they not think to design a feature to prevent this from happening? Sheesh… I came to a halt behind Levi and Eren.

“Cadet Harris, show us your skill. We want to see how fast you can go while maintaining control. No blades. Just speed,” Levi, or I guess I should call him Corporal now, ordered. I smirked and cracked my knuckles.

“Yes sir,” I licked my lips and shot off into the trees. It was a piece of cake, using the gear. I zipped through the trees in record time, landing in front of Levi. Eren looked stunned, but Levi looked less than impressed.

“Faster.”

I snarled and shot off again, going faster than before. The wind ripped through my hair and made some blow in my face.

“Faster.”

Off I flew, panting and blinded by hair. I had lost my ponytail… shit! My knees hit the ground first as my fingers scrambled to push my dark locks from my eyes. Eren had his eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed, seemingly perturbed.

“Cadet Harris, I expected better. Control your hair. It’ll get you killed by the titans,” Levi pulled a single strand from my hair. I gasped and yelped at the sharp tug. My eyes flamed in anger. How DARE he?!

“Eren, train her with the blades then report to the dining hall. We need to teach her how to clean before dinner,” Levi said, turning on his heels and leaving us to train. My jaw dropped. What a dick! I fumed silently to myself as Eren led me into the woods to show me how to use the blades. I sighed, already knowing how to use them. They were like giant knives. I could do more damage with them. Whoopty fucking doo. I destroyed all of the wooden titan dummies with flying colors. I bet Captain Stick-Up-His-Ass would say I wasn’t good enough. He’s such a prick.

After a few hours of training and convincing Mikasa and Armin, two of Eren’s friends I had just met, that I was not a threat to Eren’s safety, Eren took me so I could learn how to clean. They referred to me as ‘Mini Levi’. Let’s just say their bloody noses won’t heal anytime soon.

Cleaning was too easy. Levi watched the whole time and acted like Eren and I didn’t clean well enough. It was total horseshit. Eren cleaned the higher up places and I worked on mopping and sweeping. I prided myself on being able to clean thoroughly, so Levi’s comments made me very angry… I wanted to stab him, but apparently Eren still thought I should use my revenge on the titans. It kind of made sense, but that didn’t mean I was a happy camper. I hummed softly to myself as I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees. My kneecaps ached from the hard floor and my back hurt. This sucked balls.

“Can we go yet?” I groaned, pausing my work. Levi walked over to check my progress.

“Ask Cadet Yeager,” he spat at Eren, who was dusting the shelves in the room. I glanced up and cringed. Eren really did suck at cleaning. I huffed and got to my feet, back crackling in protest. I walked over to Eren and swiped his duster.

“Pick me up, dipshit. You suck, so I’m saving your ass,” I grumbled. Eren snorted and bent down. His head slipped between my legs so I was sitting on his shoulders. I grumbled as I did his dusting for him, fisting his hair relentlessly to punish him. He whined in pain and he pinched my thigh. I squeaked and whacked his head.

“Knock it off, you pervert!” I bellowed. Eren snickered to himself for a second before freezing. He turned around and interrupted me.

“Eren, what the hell?!” I paused when I saw Levi’s death glare. My eyes widened slightly.

“Yeager, you can fuck around in your free time. Not in my presence. I expected better from you, Cadet Harris. You of all people should know to have respect for your body. You came from the Underground, the land of prostitution and sex slaves. I would have thought you held yourself in higher regards. Both of you, out of my sight,” Levi growled, pointing to the door. Eren set me down and led me out. Both of us had wide eyes. When we were well out of earshot, I turned to Eren.

“What was that all about? You just pinched my leg… we weren’t on the verge of doing… that!” I hissed. Eren nodded.

“I don’t really know. I’m sorry, Amber, but I don’t like you in that way. I was just trying to be friendly. I don’t have many people here that I can relate to, so when you came I was relieved. I saw myself in you, like your were a long lost sister. Sure, you getting undressed in Hanji’s tent was pretty hot, but my feelings for you are platonic,” Eren explained, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling. I snorted in laughter.

“Same Eren. You’re not as fat as I thought you would be. But I don’t think of you as anything more than a friend. My first friend, I guess. But if you tell anyone what I look like in my underwear, you will fucking die,” I punched his arm. We both laughed for a little bit until I stopped. Why the fuck was Levi so upset? What did I do? Was he… NO! That’s impossible. We hate each other and that’s it. He barely saved me when I was young and now he’s the biggest douche bag around. Hmm… whatever. Maybe if I just ignore it, it will go away.

I drifted aimlessly through dinner, gobbling my food down without a memory of the taste. I was thinking too hard. Armin was trying to ask me some questions about my past, but I wasn’t paying attention. Mikasa eventually hushed him and spoke about the mission next week. I didn’t really listen. I was thinking too much. Night came all too fast and I was all alone in my room. I couldn’t sleep.

“Fuck this, I’m getting something to drink…” I swung my legs out of my bed. I grimaced at the way my nightdress fit me. It was Scout standard for the women to wear. Purely tasteless. Who wears a practically see-through dress to bed?! Why does it have to be a dress?! It’s itchy and too big. “Damn fucking shit…”

I wandered the halls until I arrived in the kitchen. I felt in the mood for something warm. I found a tea kettle and filled it with water to bring to a boil. I sat and waited, contemplating what to make. I gasped when I decided to make my mother’s favorite, lemon-mint tea. She used to make it for me and Dad all the time as a kid. I gathered the leaves I needed, fighting back emotions. I hadn’t had my mother’s tea since she had died, since… her rape. I hadn’t ever really sat down to think about it, to register that I was all alone in this world.

“Fucking great…” I hissed at myself when I felt a singular tear slide down my cheek. I sniffed to clear my nose and grinded the tea leaves, putting them in a steeping bag when I was finished. I tied the bag and set it in the hot water to make my tea. I rubbed my cheeks. Such an idiot. “Stop crying, you damn baby,” I told myself.

“Well what are you crying for?” A deep voice came from the door. I jumped and grabbed a knife from the cutting board. It was too dark to see past the doorway.

“Who’s there?” I called out, flinching again when my tea started to whistle. A chuckle sounded out.

“Better get that. Don’t let good tea go to waste,” Levi stepped into the kitchen with a smirk on his face, sitting in a chair. I frowned and set the knife down, tending to my tea. I poured two cups full. I had too much for myself anyway, so I guess he could have some… the bastard. I sat in a chair opposite him, holding the teacup so it warmed my hands.

“What are you doing up?” he asked me, holding his cup by the top when he took a sip. I drank a gulp of my own and hummed. The flavor was so familiar, I felt instantly at ease.

“Couldn’t sleep. Needed to taste this one more time,” I answered vaguely, taking another swig. Levi raised a brow.

“Then why were you crying?”

I paused and looked down in my cup to watch the steam pour off. “Aren’t you going to reprimand me for being up past curfew?”

“No. Now stop avoiding the question. Why were you crying just now?” he asked more firmly. I couldn’t explain it, but the moonlight made his features look softer. Less dick-like. I sighed shakily before answering.

“My mother used to make that tea for me before she died. I haven’t had it since. I haven’t even really had time to realize that until now.”

“That’s what the Underground does to you. Turns you into some sort of fighting machine. Keep going, don’t think. That’s what the Underground is about,” Levi said in a sort of whisper, eyes not totally focused on me or the tea. His eyes were looking at the stars. I couldn’t help but think, just for a moment, that he was beautiful. Broken, sure, but beautifully so. I didn’t want to think such things, I mean come on, the guy is a total dickwad, but I couldn’t help but notice.

“Is that what happened to you in the Underground? Were you a mindless fighter like me?” I asked at last, blowing on my cup that was already cooled.

“No. I was the mindless one. You had purpose, but I didn’t. You rose to the top after I left because you never wanted to be helpless again. You didn’t want people you love to be at the hands of horrible thugs like the ones that murdered your family. I was a mindless monster, killing and stealing for no gain but my own. I-”

“Not true. You had a gang. Two others. A redhead and a blonde. I don’t know their names, but I bet you fought to keep them alive,” I interrupted, a passion I never knew I had carrying in my voice. Levi always brought out new things in me. The Captain seemed taken aback by my outburst. It was like he was seeing me, really looking and seeing me, for the first time.

“You know, Amber, I thought you were one stupid bitch ever since I met you. Now, I think you’re just a stupid brat with a brain in that skull of yours,” Levi muttered under his breath. I smirked and tipped back the rest of my cold tea.

“Yeah, well I thought you were a dickhead with an attitude. I still do, but you’re not as bad as I thought. Maybe I won’t kill your ass anymore,” I quipped and crossed my arms. That night, under the light of the moon and stars, I saw Levi smile and heard him laugh for the first time. It was the most gorgeous sound I had ever heard and set my cheeks ablaze.

“You’re not half bad, Amber. Still bitchy, but not half bad. I actually hope you survive our mission next week.”

“Likewise, Captain Levi. Likewise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse any grammar/spelling errors, I didn't revise it so you could get the update faster. Feel free to let me know of any mistakes I've made and I'll fix them right up!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking forever with this chapter guys! So much was going on with school and life and writer's block. Since my small breakdown of sanity is over, I finally have another chapter for you! I made sure to make it a bit longer to make up for my lack of updates. Hope you all enjoy, thank you for reading and for your support!

I awoke with a jolt, the sound of sharp knocks hard on my door. I jumped up and pulled my clothes on as fast as I could. Damn it I was so fucking late… I opened the door as I pulled my hair up.

“Hurry the fuck up, Cadet,” Levi marched off. I huffed in annoyance. Where was that kind, less asshole-like man I had just spoken to the night before? Dead apparently, against my wishes too. What a guy, Captain Levi… Heh, that rhymed. I strapped on my gear and walked out for breakfast. My stomach growled, telling me that this bitch needed FOOD! I grabbed my rations as quickly as I could, eating before I even took a seat. I was so glad Eren had saved me a spot because the mess hall was packed. I sat next to him, nodding at Mikasa and Armin in greeting. Everyone jerked their heads up when Erwin cleared his throat. I withheld a groan. What did this jackalope want now?  
“As you all are aware, we had a mission scheduled for next week,”

No shit Sherlock…

“I am afraid to inform you that the MP’s have voted to move it up. We head out tomorrow with all the strength we have to reclaim Wall Maria,” he gave a meaningful look at Levi and Eren, “so today you must finish up training. Make sure you are as ready as you can be for tomorrow!”

Erwin turned and left. Well looks like today will be training with Mr. Constipated Facial Expressions and Mr. Can’t Control His Anger and Turns Titan. Quality day, really. Couldn’t be better than this. I walked out to retrieve my gear, strapping it on. Finally, I would be able to kill those bastard titans and relieve my pent up anger. I needed this so I wouldn’t be so angry at Levi, although the reason as to why was fading. That bothered me too. Yep, let’s kill some fucking titans. Levi stood and walked up behind Eren and me.

“Let’s go, you little shits. You have a lot of work to do. Cadet Harris, prepare to witness a titan. Yeager, control yourself or I will be forced to kill you,” he growled, storming out of the room. I raised a brow. Maybe he was tired after our little tea time last night. Whatever the case, my chest tightened.

“Come on, Eren, let’s go. I’m not hungry anymore,” I pushed my plate away and stood, cracking my back. Eren sighed and nodded, standing and walking towards the door.

“Just be prepared for anything. I’m not exactly great at controlling my shifting ability yet,” he warned.

I scoffed and slapped his shoulder. “Please! As a human, you’re a pussy. What would make you any different as a titan?”

Eren scowled, his cheeks flushing red. He walked faster, making me struggle to keep up with his long strides. I snickered as we walked to Hanji’s training fields, the ones in which Eren would practice controlling his titan shit. That alone peaked my curiosity. I’d never seen a titan before, let alone Eren’s party trick. When we arrived, Levi was sitting there, looking like he needed to take a shit. Told you, Mr. Constipated Facial Expressions. I yelped when Hanji glomped me, cackling like an evil scientist.

“Amber! Are you ready for science?!” she squealed, shaking me like some sort of fucking rag-doll. I couldn’t get a word out because of how rough she was being. Suddenly, she released me, whining. Levi loomed over me, hauling me to my feet.

“Leave her alone, you damn annoyance. Are you okay?” he asked me. Pink dusted my cheeks at the obvious concern. I pushed him off and crossed my arms.

“I’m fine,” I replied, my eyes focused on my feet. Hanji got to her feet, cracking her knuckles. She grinned at Eren.

“Come on Yeager! Change already so I can train you while Levi teaches Amber!” she clapped her hands together, licking her lips. Eren nodded and raised his hand to his lips. He bit down hard, the crunch making me cringe. I squinted through the steam, he must have been able to shift this time, and looked for any sign of Eren.

“Harris, look up,” Levi took my chin between his fingers and tilted it up. I gaped at what I saw. Eren was a full-blown titan, muscles rippling across his naked body. I sighed in relief when he didn’t have body parts. That would have been embarrassing.

Levi drew my chin back down to face him. “Stop gawking. Let’s get to work using the blades.”

My cheeks bloomed red, making me curse myself. What the hell was this? Why was I getting so flustered around Levi all of a sudden? It’s ridiculous! I swallowed my emotions for later examination and nodded. I drew my blades, looking to the man I was supposed to despise… for what reason anymore, I seem to have forgotten… Why was I even still mad at him? He had saved my young life, several times, he had brought me up to the Surface… oh right! The fact that he was a colossal ass the entire time! I would’ve thought he would understand my situation and sympathize, but no, he pushed me around like a bully. My jaw dropped as the thought hit me. Levi’s leg swept me off my feet. He had treated me as an equal opponent, a strong asset. Everyone else had taken my side and coddled me like a fragile child. Levi was the only one treating me like I could be better. He was pushing me to be my greatest, whether he realized it or not. He… he cared about me!

My back hit the ground, forcing all the air out of me in one wheeze. Hanji jumped in concern, but Levi only looked down at me with those dark grey eyes of his.

“Get up, Amber. Pay attention and fight back,” he ordered monotonously. I only stared in awe. He cared more about me than the whole damn world. I was a fool to think otherwise. And right now, I was disappointing him. I had pegged my entire goal to be causing trouble for him and Erwin for taking me from my place as Queen of the Underground, and yes I had dubbed myself that title thank you. He had seen me, truly SEEN me for the tough motherfucker I always have been. To him I wasn’t some poor little girl he had picked up from the trashy streets. I was a human that could stand by his side and fight. His eyes alone urged me, begged me, to show him that his efforts of drawing out my best weren’t in vain. I was an ass to ever believe that acting the way I always had would give me a free pass to the top. This wasn’t the Underground anymore and Levi had been trying to tell me that the whole time. With his crude ways and harsh treatment, he pushed me to become something more than a street-brawling brat. He wanted me as a soldier he could trust as an equal.

‘Levi,’ I thought to myself, ‘I finally understand. You knew better than to pity me. You gave me the same treatment as anyone else. I was so wrong to want to kill you! You’ve done nothing but point out my strengths to hone them into weapons. Ever since the beginning, you were on my side. I am forever in your debt…”

My eyes flashed, coming back to life with more passion than I’ve ever felt before. It was as though the concrete around my soul had been shattered, releasing the person I’ve kept imprisoned for so, so long. I wanted to show Levi just how strong I was, how he had been right about me all along. I swung my legs at his ankles, using my momentum to spin me up to my feet. Levi’s eyes widened, but he jumped out of the way. I got to my feet, blades in hand, and ran at him. I jabbed at one place, zipping to the next as quickly as I could. I couldn’t stay in one spot for too long. I used my blades to lead him to where I wanted him. He was backing up towards a tree, the perfect place to get the upper hand. I blocked his blows with difficulty. He was so strong, worthy of his title as Humanity’s strongest. I strained to keep my advantage. He needed to see his time wasn’t wasted on me. I understood him now so clearly. I was no longer blind. A smack to his ribs made him take another step back… so close… I kicked at his knees. Another step. Aha! His back hit the tree with a soft thump. I took my advantage, lifting my arms with a wild smirk on my face.

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Levi made a simple leg sweep, watching as Amber lost her footing. Where was her head? She didn’t seem to be paying any attention to him at all. He told her to pay attention. A second later, her eyes flashed. Levi felt his own widen. Never before had he seen such raw emotion from her. It made something deep in his chest twist, something coil in his gut. She was so… so beautiful. More beautiful than anything he had ever seen before, She had changed, The way she was fighting now was so fluid, so connected, it was like she was the incarnation of combat itself. Levi watched her body in awe. She enchanted him. He couldn’t explain the feeling inside himself. She was his subordinate, a brat he had helped Erwin retrieve from the Underground… but Amber was more than that. HIs heart throbbed just looking at her fight him, pushing him back with each motion, He tried to fight back but it was no use, He was under her spell and didn’t want to return to reality.

Levi grunted went his back hit wood. He hadn’t even been paying attention and now he was backed up into a tree by this gorgeous young woman, He didn’t mind one bit, not even when Amber raised her blades. He wouldn’t have cared if she would have killed him right then and there. The sharp sound of metal on wood hit Levi’s ears. He glanced to his sides and saw the blades punctured there, trapping him between them, the tree, and Amber’s body. The Captain swallowed as he watched almost helplessly. It was humiliating to be here pinned by a girl several years his minor, but something in him didn’t care. That part of him wanted to lean forward and taste those cherry red lips of hers, run his fingers in her soft brown locks.

“I got you Levi. I see you now,” Amber whispered, her voice like silk on Levi’s ears. He had no idea what she meant, but his breath hitched.

“It seems so. Now get up, brat, I have to fix these blades you’ve carelessly dulled!” Levi pushed forward, his body pressed against hers. He wished he could hold her to him all the time. Amber had a nice figure. He noted the slight pink of her cheeks when she nodded and freed him without another word. Something had changed in her, but what? Levi ran a hand in his hair, eager to figure it out.

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I flushed and let go of my blades when Levi pressed himself against me. The heat radiated off of my cheeks and I hated it.

“Damn it, knock it off,” I muttered. Levi arched a brow, pulling my blades from the trees.

“Excuse me?” he cocked his head to the side. My blush returned full force. Shit! I had said that out loud in front of him! Fuck, I was such an idiot!

“N-Nothing…” I said. Darn it I stuttered! I was such a mess, how could I let this happen?! Levi would think less of me for this. I argued with myself, gasping when I felt the cool tip of the blade on my chin.

“Amber,” 

He called me by my first name!

“Are you paying attention? This is life and death, you know. I don’t want you to die within the first five minutes.”

I swallowed and forced myself to meet his eyes. “Y-Yes sir, just a little distracted this morning. No need to remind me!” I sounded like such a ditz! Do I have any brains left?! Pull yourself together, Amber Harris! You’re a soldier for titan’s sake!

Levi cocked his head to the side and leaned in. “Miss Harris, do you have a fever? Your cheeks are abnormally flushed and you’re spacing out left and right.”

“I’ll be fine. Just give me my damn blades back and I’ll be okay,” I promised, taking a deep breath. Levi nodded and sheathed my blades in my gear for me. I managed to keep it together. This schoolgirl-crush shit needed to end. NOW! I honed my attention on what Levi taught me. He taught me ways to use my blades to cut deeper and faster than anyone else. I absorbed every word, taking it into my inner instincts. In those moments, I was a sponge.

Hours later, once Eren had regained consciousness from his titan-shifting training, I sat in the grass, panting and covered in sweat. I ran a hand over my face, sipping my cup of water. Luckily the tree I sat under provided shade from the afternoon sun. I tipped my chin up to look almost directly at it. Gorgeous. My lips twitched into a smile for once. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. I had never been able to study the Sun from the Underground. It’s heat on my face, the light on my skin, it reminded me that I was here, I was alive. The sound of a throat clearing jerked me back from my thoughts. Levi stood there, looming over me. I realized, too late of course, that I was still smiling.

“Hey Captain,” I said, surprising him with my cheery nature. I had been pretty nasty, hadn’t I? Well, better late than never. The weight on my soul was lifted and there was no way I was going to go back to acting the way I used to. I could be strong in other ways besides my ego.

“Hello,” Levi mumbled. “May I sit?”

I nodded, patting the spot beside me. I glanced away to avoid eye contact. Couldn’t risk him seeing my cheeks light up this close. Several moments of silence passed between us, slightly awkward. That was my fault. I chose to stare at my boots instead of the sky.

“It’s… uh… a nice day?” Levi muttered, sounding more like he was asking a question. I couldn’t suppress my giggle. Never had Levi sounded more timid than just then. Humanity’s Strongest wasn’t as strong as he claimed to be. It was okay, neither was I. We were both working on it.

“It is. Better get my fill of it before tomorrow,” I smiled, brushing a stray piece of brown hair back into my ponytail. I let my head fall back so I could see how green the leaves were when the sun outlined them. Levi turned to look at me. Was it my imagination or was there a pink hue to his cheeks?

“Don’t say that. You aren’t going to need to fill up on it now because you’ll get to see it everyday for a long time, got it?”

My eyes widened. He sounded to sure. “Sir?...”

“Amber, don’t sell yourself short. You are a natural warrior. You may have been rough in the beginning, but your improvement within today alone is amazing. You will go down kicking and screaming if at all,” he said firmly. My stupid cheeks went as red as roses. My jaw dropped a little as I went to retort, but he interrupted me once again.

“Besides, your position is with me and Yeager. You’ll be safe there. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he finished, letting out a puff of breath. He avoided my searching eyes, face pink as well. I didn’t know what to say. What was this coming over us? Just this morning, we had hated each other… or had we? I didn’t know anymore. I don’t even think I cared at this point.

“Levi… thank you…”

Levi grunted and stood up, checking the just barely setting sun. “Now come on. Dinner time before our mission tomorrow. Don’t be fucking late.”

He left me alone at that point to stare off after him. I couldn’t help it. I laughed and wiped the tears from my eyes. Maybe we weren’t so different after all. I got to my feet, still shaking off the remnants of my laughter. I followed my Captain to the dinner hall. I couldn’t disappoint him now, could I? Absolutely not.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you all! Hopefully you like it, even if Levi is a little OOC!

I couldn’t sleep a wink. Nerves for the mission kept me wide awake. I stared at the ceiling, chewing my bottom lip. The danger lurking ahead of me was different than anything I had ever faced before. Sure, I had seen Eren turn into a titan for a while, but I had never seen a real one that would be trying to eat me. I kicked my covers off of me, sitting up and getting out of bed. I needed more training and fast. I tore my nightgown off and changed into my uniform. My hair was swept back into a ponytail to keep it out of my face. My heart stuttered along with my breath. Before, I had always shut out how afraid of death I was. Now I feel it full force.

“D-Damn…” I muttered, opening my door and traveling to the kitchen. I needed some of my mother’s tea before I had a breakdown. All of these new, raw emotions were taking a toll on me. I stormed silently down the hall and into the kitchen. I made myself some tea and guzzled it. My hands trembled and my head spun.

“Shit… fucking shit,” I paced the room to calm my nerves. “Chill out, Amber. You have to calm down if you want to live.”

I hid my face in my hands, taking deep breaths. I sunk to my knees, trying to stop my shaking. It was embarrassing! I was falling apart mere hours before I had to go fight for my life.

“What the fuck are you doing up?” a voice boomed. I yelped and fell back, peering up at the person. I hissed and shook my head.

“Damn it, Levi, you scared the shit out of me,” I snapped, ignoring the way his lips turned upwards in the corners. “And I could ask you the same question!”

“Touche,” Levi held out a hand. I took it, gasping as he pulled me upright. He was stronger than I gave him credit for. “Why are you up so early? We have a mission soon and you need your sleep.”

“I can’t sleep anymore… my brain is thinking too much,” I sighed, chewing my bottom lip. Levi grunted and plucked my lip from my teeth. My eyes went wide at the action.

“Don’t do that. What are you thinking about?” Levi asked plainly, eyes revealing nothing. I silently cursed the blush on my cheeks and glanced down, unable to keep up the eye contact.

“Nothing really,” I spoke to the floor. “Just about everything…”

“Hmm…” Levi hummed. His fingers slipped under my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. My heart stuttered. He would be able to see my blush! Shit! I tried not to focus on how close our lips were… and tried to act like less of a schoolgirl with a crush.

“Are you afraid?” he asked, his warm breath ghosting over my cheeks. I nodded slowly, exhaling shakily. His lips curled up in the corners.

“Good. Our fear of death is what keeps us alive.”

I raised my eyebrows, the words resonating within me. “You sound so… so wise…” but maybe I was biased because his hand practically cupped my cheek.

“Of course I do. I’m wise as fuck,” Levi snorted, his smile turning to a smirk. I rolled my eyes, laughing softly. This felt so nice… I wanted it to last forever.

“Well, just stay alive, Mr. Wise As Fuck. I still need to be trained and these other assholes aren’t qualified enough,” I told him, meeting his intense gaze. He leaned in even closer. My breath hitched when I felt our lips barely brush together.

“You too. You’re not total shit,” he whispered, voice a tad husky. Was it me or were his cheeks red? I only nodded, my throat closing over. My heart pleaded with me to tell him of my growing feelings, but my brain screamed not to. I stayed silent, trying not to feel too disappointed when Levi pulled away. My fingers drifted up to my lips. That was my first almost-kiss.

“I guess I should go get a few hours of sleep…” I muttered, turning to walk out. Before I could leave, I felt Levi grab my wrist and spin me around into his arms. “Levi, what are y-”

A pressure on my mouth cut me off. My eyes widened to the size of disks. My brain exploded. Captain Levi Ackerman held me close, on hand on my waist and the other tangled in my hair, as he pressed his lips to mine. I hesitated, not sure what to do. I let my eyes flutter closed and slipped my arms around his neck. I could barely hear anything over the thumping of my own heart. All too soon, Levi pulled away, his dark eyes full of emotions. Both of our cheeks were dusted pink. Levi placed a last peck to my forehead before he left the room. I watched after him, still in shock. I panted lightly and scurried back to my room to plop on the pillows.

“Holy shit…” I muttered, squeezing my pillow as a smile took over my face.

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“Holy shit…” Levi breathed as he leaned back against the door to his room, head tilted towards the ceiling. He had finally done it. He had finally kissed Amber’s lips and had found out just how soft they were. He slid down to sit on the floor, unable to help as his lips curled up into a lovestruck smile. His heart raced as he thought of the way her cheeks had flushed. Even better, she had kissed back! His fingers tingled from the feeling of her silky hair, the way her body had pressed into his. It made him shiver.

“I’m losing my fucking mind. But I don’t even care. She makes me feel like I finally have something worth fighting for.” Levi stood and sat on his bed. He couldn’t believe he had once thought of Amber as a bitch. She was unique in her own right, a fighter of expectations. She was so strong even when she felt weak. He had fallen for her. He didn’t even care that she was his cadet and he was the captain. She had stolen his heart and warmed it, melting the ice around it. His mind traced images of her beautiful eyes and body.

“If anyone is listening, please let her live. I never ask for anything, so please. I think I… I think I love her. I don’t want to lose her so soon,” he clenched his fist, chewing his lip and squeezing his eyes shut. “She deserves more than her life has given her so far. Please, at least keep me strong so I can help her when she’s not.”

The thought kept flashing through his head until another one popped up, making his nose wrinkle. “Hanji’s going to have a fucking field day with this…”

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I snapped my eyes open, bolting upright at the sound of the trumpet. The mission! My heart raced in my chest. I straightened my uniform and fixed my hair before I ran out to report for duty. Erwin separated us into our squads. I stood next to Eren, barely able to keep still.

“Nervous? Or anxious to exact vengeance on the titans?” he asked me, hands clasped behind his back.

I smiled slightly and shook my head. “No. I don’t need revenge anymore. I just… need to get out some excess energy.”

“Well… okay then,” Eren raised a brow and stood at attention when Levi strolled up. Levi. I stared straight ahead, somehow managing to keep the blush off of my cheeks.

“Alright, squad, let’s go get in position,” he nodded to Eren, me, and some others. 

We all saluted him and fell into step, Eren and I walking directly behind him. I fingered my belt of throwing knives in order to calm my mind. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten… good, I got them all. I counted them again, my fingers making faint clicking noises with each touch.

“Cadet Harris, is that you?” Levi’s soft voice made me pause at my third count of number five.

I glanced up and nodded, flushing scarlet. “Yeah. I was counting my knives, sir,” I murmured. My eyes refused to leave the back of his head.

“How many?”

“Ten, sir. Ten knives,” I said. Levi made a sound of acknowledgement, staying silent for a while. I clasped my hands together, nerves overwhelmed with worries. What if Levi didn’t feel the same and this was his way of giving me the cold shoulder?! I bit my lip to withhold a gasp. I don’t think I would be the same if that were the case… I just really hoped that that kiss was as real for him as it was for me.

“Hopefully you won’t have to use them, cadet,” Levi slowed a bit to place a hand on my shoulder. When his eyes met mine, it was like the stars had exploded. My worries were soothed instantly by the shimmer of deep affection in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat for a minute, so I nodded.

“Th-thank you, sir. I hope I won’t either,” I responded, cursing my stutter. Levi’s lips twitched up a bit before he sped up to walk ahead of me once again. I ignored Eren’s glare, not wanting to answer his questions. He wouldn’t understand the revelations I’ve had within the last couple days. Our squad entered the stables and picked out horses. I bit my lip when I eyeballed my horse. I never really had mastered getting along with animals. I mounted the horse quickly, thankfully avoiding being kicked. I laughed when Eren was clipped by a hoof of his horse.

“Shut up, Amber!” he pouted, settling on his horse.

Levi interrupted with his loud, commanding voice. “Alright cadets, let’s move out! This is life or death now! You all need to be ready!”

“YES SIR!” we all shouted, riding off after him. Our squad fell into position. Erwin gave the signal and we all took off. Our other squad members fanned out behind Eren and me. I focused on the task at hand, scanning the area for any titans. My breath hitched when I saw flares shooting into the air.

“Titans to the West!” troops shouted. Chaos broke out. The titans appeared before anyone could react. They were what they called Abnormals. I followed Levi’s lead, swerving in an attempt to lose the titans. I saw the trees ahead and tightened my grip. This couldn’t be good. This was how those Scouts died in the Female Titan incident. Eren had told me about how guilty he felt after that.

My heart thudded when we entered the cover of the trees. It was quiet, too quiet. My horse grunted as it ran. I patted its neck to encourage it to keep running. I glanced at Eren, but he was focused on the back of Levi’s head. Thumps resounded around us, shaking the ground.

“Um… sir? Titans are near,” a cadet stuttered. The few others nodded in agreement. Levi remained silent. I swallowed thickly. A titan popped out from between trees. I skidded my horse to a stop, almost crashing into Levi and Eren. I drew my blades, only to be stopped by Levi’s raised hand.

“Don’t. Not yet. Wait for the most abnormal one,” he ordered. His steel eyes scanned the trees. Unbreakable. That’s what Levi looked like in that moment. He looked like his title said, Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. A shiver went up my spine from the pure power he radiated. I couldn’t deny it was hot, and I would be blushing if I wasn’t so focused on not being eaten by titans.

“Sir, I believe I see the abnormal. Should I shift?” Eren asked, eyeing the approaching monster. It crawled and slunk between the trees, it’s eyes glowing like blood dripping in the sunlight. It was the image of nightmares.

“Do it, Yeager,” Levi pulled out his blades and shot into the trees. Eren sank his teeth into his hand, so I closed my eyes. Nothing happened. He bit himself again. Blood leaked out between his teeth.

“I-It’s not working!” Eren cried out. “I can’t turn!”

I bit my lip and zipped into the trees. “I’ll buy you time, Eren. You can do it!” I called. I landed with a grunt on a branch. I watched the titan for an opening to strike. Fate seemed to have other plans.

Screams erupted from my other squad members. Blood splattered my face. My jaw dropped as I looked around for the culprit. All I saw coming was a cavern full of teeth.

“Oh shit…” I muttered, jumping in to avoid being crushed by the javelin-sized teeth. I landed on the slick tongue, trying not to cringe. I heard my name being called by Eren. The mouth clamped shut, cutting off my response. I screamed when I began to slip down the throat. I pulled out one of my throwing knives and stabbed it into the gullet. The thing screeched in agony. I smirked to myself.

“How do you like this, bitch? You like it when you eat people? How about now when your food fights back?” I yelled, sticking one of my blades across the throat to keep myself from falling all the way to the stomach. I took my other blade and began hacking at the back of the throat. “Take that! I’m the one who bites back!”

My blade chipped away at the flesh, steaming blood and fluid covering me. “Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting!” I grunted with each powerful thwack. I felt the titan stumble when my blade pierced through the weak spot. Jackpot! I had sliced through just the right place from the inside! I bet Levi would be impressed… no, focus! Kill titans now, admire your Captain later. The titan swayed and wobbled. I braced myself as best I could when it began to fall, a small cry escaping my lips.

The impact jarred me, making me black out for a few seconds. The heat of the decomposing titan woke me up right away. “Shit!” I started making the hole in the back of the neck bigger. I punched my hand through, clawing at pure air on the other side. I poked my other hand through and clawed at anything to pull myself out. I hefted myself up until my head popped through. The experience was so gross, like I was being born all fucking over again. This titan really knew how to piss me off… even though it was dead now. Whatever.

My head broke through and I gasped in the cool air. My mouth gulped air in, desperate for something more than the scorching innards of the titan. I felt hands slip under my arms and pull me up and out of the titan.

“Damn it, Amber, we thought you were dead,” Levi’s distinct voice cussed. I couldn’t help but laugh, wiping fluid from my eyes.

“Come on, Captain, you should know I don’t go down that easily,” I grinned and stabled myself on my feet.

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Levi watched, wide-eyed, as Amber disappeared down the gullet of one of the Abnormals. “No…” he muttered. His eyes darkened in unadulterated anger. Complete, immense rage. He took off and slaughtered the slinking Abnormal, taking it out before it could reach Eren. He massacred any other titan that came near, too focused to see the blade sticking out of the Jaws Abnormal from the inside. He did, however, see it fall.

A hand sprung from the hole like a zombie emerging from the grave. Another hand followed, grasping for a hold. Levi watched, not breathing. His heart thudded in his chest. When Amber’s head came through, he had to resist the urge to pull her out and kiss her senseless. Instead, he helped pull her out and held her to his chest.

“Damn it, Amber, we thought you were dead,” he cursed. His throat thickened at the thought. He had nearly lost another person he loved. He thanked his lucky stars that Amber was as tough as she was.

“Come on, Captain, you should know I don’t go down that easily,” she quipped with that gorgeous grin of hers. She steadied herself on her feet, but Levi pulled her back to him. And then, he laughed a full, hearty laugh. It had been so long since he had laughed like this.

“Jesus, Amber!” he panted, hugging her tightly so as to not lose her again. Amber buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent. She followed his example and began to giggle. Levi nosed her hair, ignoring the steaming titan fluid. She was alive and safe. That was all that mattered in their line of work.

After a few moments, Levi straightened out and adjusted Amber to stand on her own. “We have work to do, soldier. Let’s go.”

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I nodded, smiling with my teeth and all at Levi. “Yes sir,” I saluted wholeheartedly. My heart throbbed and my body tingled where he had touched me. I was hopelessly in love and I had never felt more alive. Not even the oncoming bloodshed could stop us from feeling the way we did for each other. Fuck life and it’s obstacles. I had just survived being eaten by a titan. He had lived through worse. Our scars only proved that ours was a love worth lasting. Watch out world, because not even you will be able to keep Levi and me apart now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I appreciate all the comments and kudos! I'll try to post more chapters as soon as I can!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last official chapter of this fanfic is now up! It was really hard to write for several reasons but it is finally coming to an end. I will have an epilogue, but then that's it. I appreciate all who stuck with this story through it all and I apologize for anything in this that is lacking (*cough cough my ability to write lemons*). Hopefully you all find it satisfying enough and thank you all!

The mission ended in great success and great loss. We lost many good Scouts. Funerals and grieving lasted months after we returned. The positive was that we got into Shiganshina. Eren found what he needed to in his cellar. Hanji worked on synthesizing a formula to kill titans based on the papers left by Eren’s father. People had hope for the first time in forever. Love and celebration was on the cusp of the air. I, for one, was madly in love with Levi Ackerman. That asshole stole my heart without my permission so I stole his back. We stole kisses in passing and still had our midnight conversations. Our relationship had become a little more public. If anything, my feelings for him had only grown. I wanted him. I had never really wanted anyone before. He was so attractive, smart, and caring… damn, I sounded like a flustered dweeb.

“Attention, Scouts!” Erwin’s loud, booming voice shook me from my drooling over the man I loved. “I have wondrous news! Hanji has cracked the code and created a formula that will eliminate all of the titans.”

My mouth gaped at the statement. We were finally free! Safe… that word felt so foreign on my tongue. Dreams long-withheld could be followed and more families would start up. Hell, I could do anything I wanted now! That meant… I could actually have a stable relationship with Levi. I tuned in to Erwin again to keep from blushing and screaming like a sappy bitch.

“In celebration of this breakthrough, we will be having a formal dance. Today you all may go to the market and purchase clothing necessary for the occasion. I will pay for it all, so let loose. The future is ahead!” Erwin clapped his hands, a smile on his face. A…. a dance?! Well shit… I never danced before, except in combat! But that’s not real dancing! Gah!!!

“Amber! You, me, Armin, and Mikasa should all go shopping together for the dance!” Eren slung his arm around my shoulders. I blushed lightly and nodded, glad to have actual friends to go with. “And don’t worry, we’ll help you look good for Levi,” Eren added.

My cheeks flared up red at his words. “Damn you, Eren!” I smacked his arm and stormed off towards the stables to grab my horse. Eren snickered behind me and followed me, Mikasa and Armin trailing after. We all paused when we saw Levi entering the stables.

“Captain Levi!” Eren yelled out. I jumped up and tried to cover his mouth. I hissed, yanking my hand away when he bit my fingers. Levi turned to gaze at us with his sexy eyes… I resisted the urge to swoon like an idiot just then. My heart made me too soft, but oh well…

“What is it, brat?”

“Well, sir, Amber here needs a date to the dance tonight. She would absolutely LOVE it if you asked her,” Eren smirked at me. I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest. Levi’s lips curled up in the corners. I thought I was going to die right then.

“Would you like to attend the dance with me, Amber?” Levi asked me.

My eye widened and my words got caught in my throat. “Y-Yes! Of course!” I wished it was socially acceptable to facepalm myself right then and there. Levi nodded and smiled slightly, shooting me a wink when he disappeared into the stable. That man sure knew how to leave me hanging!

Eren bursted into laughter at the exchange. “Wow, Amber, you’re so smooth! At this rate, I can guarantee that you will not be getting laid anytime soon.”

“Eren,” Mikasa interrupted when she saw my crestfallen face, “Amber is a virgin. She isn’t looking to just get laid. Don’t be ignorant. She is in love and wants her love to be returned, which, I think, it is. She deserves better from Levi and from you as her friend. It is our duty as her friends to make her feel beautiful so, should the chance to make love with Levi arise, she feels confident. That’s what you should be guaranteeing, her confidence and peace of mind.”

My eyes watered at that. Man, I must be getting soft, but damn it these people knew how to hit me right in the heart. I pulled Mikasa into a slightly awkward hug, but it was worth it. Who knew friends could be so awesome? Mikasa ran her hands in my hair for a second before pulling away, her mouth quirked up.

“Let’s get you clothes to make you look stunning,” she said. She grabbed our horses by the reigns and handed them to us.

“Amber, are you really looking to bed with Captain Levi?” Armin asked with a tiny blush. I blushed myself and looked away.

“I… I… I don’t know, maybe. I mean we have been ‘together’, I guess you could say, for a long time now. I have been wanting to get a bit more serious with him… this is embarrassing,” I mumbled, climbing onto my horse.

“No, no! You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Amber! You love Levi and want to show him in a more physical manner. That’s natural,” Armin put his hands up in a calming gesture.

“More like a miracle, considering what you went through in the Underground,” Eren butted in. Mikasa silenced him with a harsh glare. I have the best fucking friend in her. She made me proud.

“Okay… but yeah. I just want something more than what we have. I mean, our relationship is awesome, I just think I’m ready for the next step. With the titans able to be eradicated here soon, I want to progress along with the new world,” I explained. My heart thudded in agreement. I was ready for the next step, and I hoped Levi was too. I loved him enough to give myself to him for real.

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear. I wanted to be sure you were actually ready, and you are. Let’s get you all decked out for your man,” Armin gave me a genuine smile, which warmed my soul.

Eren mounted his horse and rode off towards civilization. “Amber and Levi sitting in a tree-” he sang. I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior. I just hoped Levi would feel the same way I did…

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Levi let his head fall back against the wood walls of the stables. Amber managed to take his breath away yet again. Asking her to the dance was the perfect opportunity to pop the more serious question. With the titans posing less of a threat with their imminent death, Levi pondered settling down and retiring from soldier life. He wanted to enjoy civilian-hood before too long. He wanted to settle and have a family of his own, one with a wife and children. And he knew just the woman he wanted to be with when this whole thing was over. Amber. Levi fingered the small bulge in his pocket where the simple gold band sat in wait. Even Erwin approved of Levi’s intentions. Seriously, Levi had asked for Amber’s hand. He was all too pleased with the answer, but damn, he was scared as hell!

Not only was marriage a way to further their relationship and deepen their connection, it gave Levi more responsibility for Amber’s happiness. He would do anything for her. He wanted her so badly, he would die for her before he let her get hurt. His love was not without its flaws though. Levi was only human and couldn’t help the desires he had to suppress. Amber contained so much beauty, his knees trembled. He wanted to make love to her and show her how much she meant to him. In all honesty, he had lied about being acquainted with the female body. His past in the Underground had made him cold and heartless to any advances. Amber changed him instantly. He could think of nothing better than embracing her, watching the moonlight pool over their forms entangled with each others and the bed sheets.

Levi shuddered at the thoughts. He was enamored with everything about Amber, that was for sure. He straightened his back and grabbed his horse. He had a suit to buy for this dance. He was a Corporal, damn it, and he needed to continue to act like one. Amber respected him for his bravery, so he needed to maintain it for her sake. He would ask her to be his bride, to be the woman he doted over and made love to every night, should she want, to be the bearer of his children. Fire ignited in his eyes like never before. He wouldn’t give up until Amber was his in the new world. He wouldn’t… she would be his.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

My amber eyes widened as I gazed at myself in the mirror. “Ummm Eren, you shouldn’t pick my dresses anymore,” I said bluntly. This green dress was cut waaaaay too low and the slit was waaaaay too high. He and Mikasa kept putting me in dresses that were more for their tastes and not mine. Eren was just an ass, but Mikasa wasn’t a girly girl. I couldn’t blame her too much, I guess. I could feel Armin studying me, visualizing the dress that would fit me best.

“I’ve got it!” Armin scurried off to grab another dress. I sighed and reentered the dressing room. Armin tossed a dress in, the fabric flowing as it floated into my lap. I changed into the plum-colored clothing and gasped.

“I need someone to lace the corset in the back… not you Mikasa!” I called. Last time Mikasa laced up my corset dress, I almost suffocated. Armin popped his head in with a cheeky grin. He tugged the strings gently enough to be comfortable. I didn’t need pulled in since the Underground had left me skinny enough. There was, however, a slight push up bra inside the dress. After situating myself, I looked stunning! I actually looked like a pretty woman!

“Oh Armin!” I squealed happily, playing with the flowing skirt. Armin smirked like he knew he would have been right. I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you! Now we need to dress you, Eren, and Mikasa up! I’m so ready for this dance!”

~Time Skip to the Dance~

I entered the ballroom in my new dress, my hair pinned up in a stylishly messy bun and my make-up done simply. My lips were on the verge of purple to make my dress pop. Who knew Armin was secretly a fashionista? That little smarty-pants knew how to make me happy in my own skin. I scanned the room for my date, my cheeks rosy in anticipation. Arms slipped around me from behind, sliding over my hips, and rested on my flat stomach.

“You look absolutely stunning,” Levi murmured in my ear, on the verge of purring. I shivered slightly and smiled, craning my head to look back at him.

“You look pretty dashing yourself,” I pecked his lips and rested my hands over his.

Levi chuckled and spun me around to take me in. “Wow…” he breathed, looking me up and down. I blushed faintly and let my hands drift over his shoulders and down his arms. He was such a gorgeous human being. He hadn’t abandoned his famous cravat, and that fact made me giggle softly. His black suit fit him snuggly, making his broad shoulders and fit body stand out. My kitten heels made it so I was closer to being eye to eye with him, but he was still taller. Just shows how short I am. Levi’s hands rested on my hips and held me close. Music drifted through the air. Levi began to sway his hips, his hands guiding mine to do the same.

“So you’re not even going to ask if I’ll dance with you?” I raised an eyebrow in question.

Levi snorted and shook his head. “No. I figured I scared everyone off by now. At this point, they should all know that you’re my date.”

I couldn’t help the way my breath hitched when he said that. I tilted my chin up and slotted my lips against his. Levi hummed and returned the kiss, rubbing my hips with his thumbs. I had to withhold a whine when Levi pulled away after only a minute.

“Wait, Amber, I have something to ask you…” he said, stopping our movements. My forehead crinkled a bit in confusion, but I listened to him nonetheless. “Amber, we have been together for months now and I can’t help but feel that you are the one for me. You make me feel things no one else has and I can’t let that slip through my fingers. I love you, Amber Harris. I wanted to ask,” he knelt down on one knee and pulled out a simple gold ring. “Will you be my wife?”

My lips parted and my eyes widened in surprise. Levi wanted me to marry him? Holy shit!!! My hands covered my gaping mouth and I nodded vigorously. “YES! Absolutely yes, Levi!” I launched myself down into his arms, peppering his face with kisses. Levi chuckled and slipped the ring onto my finger, wrapping his arms around me. He turned his face to capture my lips with his. I eagerly kissed back, my fingers drifting through his undercut. His hand cupped my jaw and held me close.

“Yeah, you two! Get some!” someone yelled. I flinched back from Levi, blushing and angrily searching for the bastard. Levi only chuckled and continued dancing with me.

“Relax, Amber. Let’s just dance, hm? Celebrate the new life we can have,” he kissed my temple and swayed softly. I smiled and nodded. I rested my head on his shoulder as we danced and joked. We whispered how much we loved one another several times. I was in heaven. This was what I had wanted all along, even before I realized what I truly wanted. Levi couldn’t be any more perfect.

We danced around and around, losing ourselves in the night. My face nuzzled in Levi’s neck. His arms held me close, and he rubbed up and down my back. I bit my lip and looked up at him. The faint traces of moonlight dusted his cheeks in a pale beauty. I drank him in. I was so, so lucky to be his. The piano halted softly and we paused. Levi leaned in to whisper in my ear.

“Amber…”

“Yes, Levi?”

“Let me make love to you.”

My lips parted in surprise, only to be claimed by his. His tongue tentatively slipped into my mouth to explore. I froze for a moment, too surprised for my own good. When it clicked in my head, I kissed back with all I had, tangling my tongue with his. He guided me with him by my hips. I threaded my hands in his hair, my heart pounding in my chest. His back hit a door with a thump. My breath hitched. We were already back to my room. Levi led me inside, kissing my hand as he closed and locked the door behind us. He smiled down at me before rejoining our lips. He trailed across my jaw and down my neck.

“So beautiful…” he purred when he nipped the sensitive skin of my neck. I gasped and clutched his shoulders.

“L-Levi…” I breathed. His thumbs rubbed my hips.

“You can back out at any moment. I know this is your first time, so I only want you to be comfortable,” he whispered.

I bit my lip and spun us around, pinning him against the door. “I was going to say to hurry the fuck up,” I smirked playfully and kissed him hard. I felt Levi chuckle against my mouth and pull me close by my waist. I moved my hands from the door to run them in his hair. A soft groan vibrated my lips. Levi’s fingers fumbled with the corset tie on the back of my dress. He pulled away and smirked.

“Let’s take this stupid dress off, hm?” he yanked the knot free, the dress loosening under his ministrations. I licked my lips and held the dress up, backing away towards the bed. Levi took slow steps to follow me. I swallowed and let my dress drop. Levi’s eyebrows went up and a blush spread over his cheeks.

“Wh-What?” I asked, a bit self-conscious.

“You’re just so gorgeous…” Levi breathed. I smiled softly and fell back onto the bed. Levi crawled after me and hovered on top. His hands ghosted down my sides, his lips following down to my panties. That word was so embarrassing, but what else was I supposed to call these flimsy underwear I bought for this occasion? I gasped in arousal when Levi’s fingers hooked onto my panties and flung them off like they offended him.

“No fair, you strip too,” I whispered. Levi guided my hands up to the buttons of his dress shirt. I happily unbuttoned them, my hands exploring every inch of his carved muscles. I cherished each scar.

“You’re amazing too,” I pressed a kiss to his lips. Levi smiled and kissed back. His hands drifted up my abdomen to my chest to cup my breasts. I gasped and let out a shuddering sigh.

Levi chuckled and pulled away. “Feel good, baby doll?” he drawled. I blushed and nodded as he carefully fondled each one. I tried to hold my noises in, but the way he was touching me made me feel so appreciated. Tiny gasps and moans escaped. My eyes widened when I pulled a deep groan from Levi. I reached down and tugged at his belt buckle, popping it loose, when the sound reached my ears.

Ever so sexually, I flipped him to his back to tug at his pants. Levi watched with wide, blown eyes as I shimmied his dress pants down and off of him. I mounted his boxers and watched as his mouth dropped open.

“Oh fuck…” he growled, rutting his hips up. His hard on poked me through his boxers. Before I could react, he flipped me back under him and began grinding against my thigh with such sultry moans, I couldn’t help by moan myself. His voice went right to my core, winding me up to no end. There was nothing as sexy as a man such as Levi moaning just for me. His frantic hands peeled his boxers off. I bit my lip when his eyes looked to mine for permission. He smiled gently and flipped us over so I was on top.

“You take control for now, so you feel more comfortable. Take your time. Just don’t give me blue balls.” He winked and rested his hands on my hips. I nodded and gave him a grateful smile before I just grinded him for a bit to get myself going even more. I could tell I was torturing Levi by the needy noises he kept making. It made me… hungry. I couldn’t wait to be his any longer. I reached behind me and grasped his penis, earning a gasp from him. I positioned myself on top and locked eyes with my lover as I slowly sank down. The first thing I noticed was the slight burn. I took deep breaths and mounted him completely, staying still to adjust.

Levi cupped my cheek. “You alright?” he asked in a concerned voice. I nodded and cupped his hand in mine. He carefully sat up and pecked my lips over and over. “Just take your time. I’ll make it better, baby,” he cooed and whispered, peppering me with his love. I let out a shaky sigh when I felt better.

“Alright,” I rolled my hips, forcing a hard curse from Levi. He latched onto my neck and nipped and sucked to mark me as his. I moaned a bit loudly. My neck was sensitive there! Levi smirked and gently thrust his hips up against mine.

“Lord!” I gasped, clinging to his shoulders with my nails.

Levi moved to be nose to nose with me. “I think the name you’re looking for is ‘Levi’,” he kissed me hard and began to set a steady rhythm. Pleasure immediately washed over me. I moved my body with his, grabbing and grasping in our continuous dance to get closer and closer still. Soon I ended up beneath him again when he struck that one chord within me.

“Levi!” I cried out, my voice raw. That snapped something within my fiance. He growled and groaned and gripped my hips tighter, hips snapping into that spot over and over. I couldn’t catch my breath. Everything was hot and spinning. Levi’s lips found mine as he moved, and I couldn’t take it anymore. My back arched towards him as I came with his name on my lips. Levi’s breath stuttered and his thrusts became desperate. I dragged my teeth over his earlobe.

“Come baby,” I whispered, dragging a nail down his spine. Levi moaned and thrusted one last time.

“A-Amber!” he called, panting heavily in post-orgasmic bliss. I gasped softly when I felt his seed shoot into me, warming me inside and out. He pulled out and tugged me close, running a hand through my hair. I smiled and pecked his lips, enjoying his sleepy gaze.

“I love you,” I breathed. He smiled and kissed me again. “I love you too.”

I snuggled into him and listened as his breath evened out in sleep. I smiled like an idiot for the millionth time. This dufus was to be my husband and I his wife. The titans had their doom coming to them. Maybe the universe had finally smiled upon my future after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next comes the epilogue before it's all over. Thank you all so much!


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here, my friends, is the incredibly short, but hopefully totally sweet, epilogue to my fanfiction. Thanks to you all for all of your support!

~5 months later~

Hanji beamed as she instructed the men to hammer at the final bits of the base of Wall Maria. With a few more hits, a large portion of the wall crumbled.

“To the new age of freedom and exploration!” Erwin cheered, all of us following his lead. I cast a glance at Levi and smiled, resting a hand on my rounded stomach. Everything just seemed to be falling into place for us.

“Finally free to explore the outside. Just in time for this little shit, hm?” Levi smiled and kissed my hand, fiddling with the wedding band there.

“Yeah, in time for four months from now,” I teased, making my way over to the outside, the true outside. Levi rested his hand on my lower back as we explored what we could today. He’s such a good husband, always treating me just how I deserve. I was so glad that I had had the epiphany I did, when I did. Vengeance wasn’t what I needed. It was love. And here, I had found it unconditionally. And I don’t know what could possibly be better than that.

The End


End file.
